A pall of grief and outrage hangs over the Volta Region as the family of a 26-year-old man is demanding answers and justice following his untimely death while in police custody.
The deceased young man, whose identity has been revealed as Felix Azibodzi, was apprehended by police authorities in the area on August 9, 2023, on suspicion of robbery.
However, he never returned home until reports of his demise reached his family. The incident has hit the family like a sledgehammer, and are therefore demanding justice. They insist his demise was unjustified and suspicious, arguing that prior to his arrest, he was hale and hearty.
Speaking in an interview on Starr News on how they got to know of their relative’s arrest, an uncle to the deceased, Michael Azibodzi, narrated that: “Two days after he [the deceased] left home, about 13 police officers led by the commander came here to look for the father.
“I called out the father (sick) from the room and we sat down with the police who informed us that they invited Felix (deceased) for interrogation and arrested him,” he continued.
“They went on to inform us that a day after his arrest, he complained of ill health and was taken to the hospital for treatment where he passed,” he added.
Upon checks with checks on the body at the Ho Teaching Hospital morgue, the Azibodzi family found out that the deceased was physically molested while in custody
“We were not told Felix had an accident but we were left distraught and disgusted when we went to view the body at the morgue. He had bruises on his back, one of his arms left disjointed and his legs fractured,” the family revealed.
Further checks from the hospital, according to the family, revealed that the deceased was brought to the facility dead.
While the police administration in the area has not yet provided a statement regarding the matter, insider sources from the police force have refuted any allegations of misconduct by the police.
However, it was verified that the individual who passed away had been apprehended in relation to a car theft on the mentioned Wednesday. Subsequently, he was found to be unwell the following day while in detention.
Reports indicate that he was reportedly taken to the hospital for medical treatment on Thursday, August 10, where he later passed away.