Sgt. Michael Dzamasi and L/Cpl. Awal Mohammed

The gruesome murder of Sgt. Michael Gyamasi and L/Cpl. Awal Mohammed at Budumburam, near Kasoa, in broad daylight was witnessed by many residents of the Kasoa area.

Their narrations are disturbing and have provoked a national conversation about the callousness of blood-thirsty criminals.

As it is with crime scene narrations, various versions have emerged ‒ the bottom-line being the shooting of the two unarmed cops.

Gyamasi Trapped

One of the versions is about how the suspects driving an unregistered Toyota Camry car were stopped at a checkpoint but they refused to heed the police order whereupon they were chased.

At a point, however, the suspects stopped and the driver stepped out but was quickly slapped by Sgt. Gyamasi and both of them were locked in a fight.

When the driver managed to extricate himself from the grasp of the police officer, he quickly went into his car and brought out a weapon which he used to fire the unarmed cop, injuring him critically.

The deceased entered a nearby store but the assailant followed him into the place and finished him with more bullets to his head, leading to his instant death.

L/Cpl. Mohammed now injured too managed to hide but died later at the Winneba Hospital, where he was rushed to.

Trap For Gyamasi

The second version of what happened is about how the suspects deliberately removed the number plate of their Toyota Camry car and hit the road in a bid to lure their quarry.

Things worked according to plan and when the cops spotted the unregistered car, they stopped it but the suspects drove on.

Upon a hot chase, the vehicle came to a stop at a point. The killer did not spare his target as he reportedly fired the deceased and L/Cpl. Mohammed suffered a bullet wound from which he died later in the hospital.

‘Sakawa’ Angle

The deceased is said to have been a target of some ‘Sakawa’ boys in the neighbourhood after he arrested them earlier.

The deceased is said to be the non-bribe receiving type, and so constituted a problem for the hoodlums who bayed for his blood.

He was said to have sent one of the young men to court for two offences a month ago.

The angry suspect reportedly vowed to revenge for the cop’s action against him after paying for the fine related to one of the offences.

However, he was jailed for 30 days for the second offence which is said to have triggered the anger and the subsequent death described as a contract killing.

Imminent Danger

L/Cpl. Mohammed was said to have been warned to steer clear by the killer since he was not the target but, unfortunately, he too suffered a shot in the arm and was rushed to the hospital, where he eventually died.

The service vehicle GP 3632 with which the cops chased the suspects and the one used by their suspected assailants and the Ruger pistol are now with the police.

In Tandem

The witnesses’ narration tie in with the police version about how the deceased chased an unregistered Toyota Camry but when both parties stopped at a point, one of the suspects fired at the deceased and his colleague.

The sergeant, the police report explained, had run into to a nearby shop where the assailant followed him and fired more shot, killing him instantly.

A few metres away, the driver of the Camry stopped and the two policemen accosted the occupants of the car but in an attempt to arrest them, one of them shrugged the police off, went and picked a pistol from the car and opened fire at the two officers.

It only differed in the matter of the L/Cpl. Mohammed who was shot at, even though he managed to take cover after the shots were fired.

Subsequent Arrests

It did not take long for the suspects to be picked after they had abandoned their vehicle at Kokrobite.

The Rugger pistol bearing the registered owner, a certain Eric Kojo Duah, has led the police to mount a manhunt for him.

Those immediately arrested after the incident were Ibrahim Zakaria, Isaac Amissah and Dominic Commey, but two others said to be Nigerians were also picked up later.

Massive Anger

In a related development, residents of the area where the cops were killed in cold blood last Wednesday wanted the suspects handed over to them, so they would ‘kill’ them in revenge.

They were heard expressing themselves at the top of their voices over what they said would be a long drawn court case which they are not ready for. For them, therefore, jungle justice would have been a preferred option, they said.

Wife’s Story

The wife of Sgt. Gyamasi has spoken about how she nearly passed out upon hearing about what had befallen her husband.

The support of family members around her, she said, spared her from suffering the worse.

“Some family members were around and did all they could to help me regain consciousness,” she stated.

Killer’s Picture

The Ghana Police Service has released the photograph of Eric Kojo Duah, the man in whose name the Rugger pistol was registered, and suspected to have pulled the trigger on the two cops.

A bounty of GH¢10,000 has also been placed on the head of Eric Duah.

Dawn Swoop

The police yesterday morning swooped on suspected criminals at Gomoa Budumburam in their bid to lay hands on other persons having a hand in the gruesome murder of the cops, especially Eric Duah.

Chief’s Worry

The Chief of Gomoa Budumburam, Nana Kojo Essel II, cried out about what he said is a persistent armed robbery attack, a situation which he said had imposed a ‘curfew’ on them.

The area allocated to Liberian refugees, he disclosed, is now a haven for all manner of criminals.

Speaking on Adom FM whih was monitored by GHANAWISH.COM he said, “We are at our wit’s end as to what to do following the murder of the two police officers in the area.”

He said on a daily basis, dead bodies with missing parts are sometimes found on the streets of the area saying, “I have to bury dead bodies abandoned in the area. Most of the corpses have missing body parts, obviously they use them for ritual purposes,” he bemoaned.

The Liberian camp, he pointed out, is a dreaded area after 6:00pm.

“The police are even afraid to go there because these armed robbers, mostly Ghanaians, have taken over the camp,” he indicated.

“The location has outlived its usefulness and must be demolished,” Nana Kojo Essel added.