How an irresponsible police act destroyed the life of an orphan girl

She was from school, had gone home to change clothes and was heading towards the market to help her sister make some sale for the family’s upkeep. Little did she know that will be the last time she will be walking on both legs.

At 18, Ruth who has lost both parents and lives with an aunt has had half of her life stolen away by an indiscriminate act from a police commander in Odumase.

She explained, during an interview with Kofi TV, how a high-rank police officer, during a riot in the area, looked right into her face and shot at her leg, leaving an unforgettable scar.

“I met the fight on my way to the market and in the process of trying to hide, I went behind a kiosk. I saw the police commander right beside me, not very far away, as I tried to move, he directed the gun at my leg and shot. I didn’t know what happened, the next thing I knew, I was at the Martin Memorial hospital,” she narrated.

Subsequently, her right leg was amputated and she had to stay in the hospital for months; the beginning of her woes.

“My leg was cut because it had been completely destroyed, the bullet hit my knee.” She explained.
In tears, Ruth noted how her life has become stagnated because she was unable to write her B.E.C.E, and how she basically lives her life in her room now because she fears what the world will think about her with her leg cut off.

“I was in JHS 3 when the incident happened. It was just about the time we were about writing the B.E.C.E. I couldn’t write as a result, by the time I was out of the hospital, they had written the exams.
I am unable to go out because my leg looks ridiculous. I still want to write the B.E.C.E, all my friends have gone ahead in life, I’m still stagnant. I feel so much pain every time I think about it.” She said.

About the commander whose name she gave as ASP Harry, she said he had never stepped foot in the house or even checked up on her since the incident. Ruth who wants to further her education and have a good life like the rest of her colleagues is hopeful that some help will come to her and she can pursue her dreams.

“The commander has not stepped foot here since it happened. The police knew about it, but he has been transferred to the Volta Region. His name is ASP Harry.

I just want to be able to go to school again. I want to rewrite the B.E.C.E so I can move on with my life,” she further stated.



It would be recalled there were tensions in Odumase in the Eastern Region in May last year over a protracted misunderstanding over electricity bills.

Eyewitnesses say, a boy possibly 14 years old who sells pure water was struck down by a bullet while he was minding his own business several meters away from the scene of the protest at Agormanya in the Eastern region.
Three persons including 18-year-old Ruth were affected by the protests. The others are two adult males in their early 30’s.

The clashes were a climax of weeks of simmering tension and pockets of clashes between residents and police-backed officers of the Power Distribution Services company.