A family, supported by fellow residents and a youth association in Keta in the Volta Region, is urging the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the passing of a community member, Jerry Kpesenu.
Jerry Kpesenu reportedly passed away while in the custody of the Keta police following his arrest.
The collective asserts that the deceased was mistreated and unlawfully killed due to his refusal to comply with police directives.
During a press briefing on Monday, June 10, spokesperson for the youth group, Forceman Doe William, stated, “Our immediate plea is for the IGP to promptly, as an urgent measure, suspend, I reiterate and emphasize, suspend the officers involved.
“Set up a five-member committee to include an appointed member from the deceased’s family and another from the Keta youth, and we request an independent autopsy in a highly professional pathology centre in Ghana at the cost of the police,” he said.
Mr. William contended that had the authorities summoned the deceased to the police station in a respectful manner, he would still be alive today.
As reported by the Daily Graphic on June 6, the individual in question prevented their tenant from installing an air conditioner in their rented space, asserting that the tenant required their consent to proceed.
This resulted in a heated confrontation between them, prompting the tenant to report the incident to law enforcement.
The family spokesperson recounted that two law enforcement officers, one in uniform and the other in plain clothes, arrived at his residence and commenced assaulting him before escorting him to the Keta Divisional Police Command, where he purportedly succumbed to the inflicted mistreatment.
Nevertheless, law enforcement authorities maintain that the 45-year-old individual fell ill while under detention and was swiftly transported to the Keta Municipal Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased upon arrival.