Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has assured that the perpetrators responsible for the killing of investigative journalist Ahmed Suale will face justice.
Speaking in Parliament in response to questions from members of the House, the Attorney General stated that efforts are underway to arrest and prosecute those responsible for Suale’s death.
Pursuant to further request for information on the state of investigation, a second investigation docket was received by my Office in 2023. The docket indicated that investigations into the case are still ongoing, and the identities of the perpetrators were still outstanding. No identifiable suspects have been found yet.“
Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame revealed to Parliament that extensive investigations have been conducted into the Ahmed Suale case, including efforts beyond Ghana’s borders by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
He disclosed that the United States Government was engaged through the American Embassy in Accra to conduct a forensic examination of devices used by the deceased before his murder.
Additionally, investigations into the devices were conducted by the Department of Geomatic Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
The Attorney General also provided updates on several high-profile murder cases, including those of Ahmed Suale, Fennec Okyere, JB Danquah, Shadrack Arloo, Major Maxwell Mahama, and Prof. Benneh.
Regarding the length of time taken for the investigations, the Attorney-General expressed sympathy for the late Ahmed Suale’s family but noted that some murder cases can take time to resolve. He cited the example of the murder of American rapper Tupac Shakur, which took authorities in the United States several years to solve.
“Just like the murderer of the late Tupac Shakur, justice will surely catch up with the murderers of Ahmed Suale. Mr. Speaker indeed the government is fully committed to ensuring that the murderers of the late Ahmed Suale are found and brought to book,” he said.
Mr. Dame cautioned the public against speculating about the motive for Ahmed Suale’s murder, suggesting that it may not be related to his work as an investigative journalist.
This statement prompted a question from Alhassan Suhuyini, the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, who asked for the basis of Mr. Dame’s assertion.
The Attorney-General responded by emphasizing that motives for murder can only be determined through thorough investigations. He cautioned against unfounded speculation, stating that it could undermine the ongoing investigations by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service and prejudice public opinion.
Mr. Dame described suggestions that Ahmed Suale was killed because of his work as “very dangerous” and could undermine the integrity of the police investigations. He criticized Alhassan Suhuyini of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for suggesting that Suale was murdered for his investigative journalism, calling it “propagandist.”
To support his point, the Attorney-General cited the case of Fennec Okyere, a music manager known for his work with artist Kwaw Kesse. He explained that investigations into Okyere’s murder revealed his involvement in several land disputes, cautioning against assuming he was killed because of his work in the music industry.