A 17-year-old young man, Kwesi Boateng has lost his life following an alleged assault by two police officers in Mamaso, Birem North District of the Eastern Region.
The grieving family is fervently seeking justice in response to this heartbreaking incident.
Prior to his untimely demise, Kwesi Boateng was employed at a car wash facility in Maamaso, a neighborhood near New Abirem in the Eastern Region.
According to accounts from friends and family, the two police officers purportedly subjected the teenager to physical violence due to what they deem a minor mistake.
A colleague of the deceased shared his recollection: “I was in the midst of working on a vehicle when the police officers arrived. Kwesi borrowed the pressure washer from me to clean his carpet. In the process, water accidentally splashed onto the policemen. They confronted Kwesi, and although he explained that it wasn’t intentional, they grew agitated.”
He further explained: “The situation escalated, and they reported the incident to the car wash owner. Despite the owner’s apologies, I witnessed one of the officers forcefully knocking Kwesi to the ground.”
The father of the deceased, Chairman Akimodis, expressed that his son lost his life due to the injuries inflicted by the officers.
“My son was brutally beaten. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after we transported him to the Abirem Police Station. An extensive investigation is imperative to identify those responsible for my son’s death. If justice is not served, I will employ all means at my disposal. I hail from Larteh, and I am prepared to rally the entire extended family of the policemen if necessary.”
Following the assault, the victim was admitted to the New Abirem Government Hospital before his unfortunate passing.
Although details of the deceased’s condition during his hospitalization remain undisclosed by the New Abirem Government Hospital, Dr. Sekyi Attaa Larbi, a medical doctor at the facility, cited legal restrictions on sharing patient information.
“By legal guidelines, I am prohibited from revealing a patient’s information to a third party. Regrettably, I cannot comply with your request.”
The Eastern Regional Police Command has taken custody of the deceased’s body from the I & I Private Mortuary in Afosu for an autopsy to be conducted in Accra, without the accompaniment of family members.
Family members, however, have contested this action, making their presence felt at the mortuary and demanding the return of the body. Rebecca Owusu, the elder sister of the deceased, articulated their stance:
“We insist on reclaiming my brother’s body. How could the police take the body away without informing us? This document is evidence that a body has been deposited here. Our demand is clear: we want our brother’s body back.”