Former Member of Parliament for Ayensuano, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, is demanding a thorough investigation into the recent train accident, emphasizing that merely sentencing the driver involved is inadequate to resolve the matter.
Ayeh-Paye stressed the importance of holding all stakeholders accountable, including the railway development authority and the Ghana Railway Company Limited.
His remarks follow the mishap involving a newly imported train during a test run on the Tema-Makapadan railway line.
The driver of the truck involved in the incident has been sentenced to six months in prison by the Juapong District Court.
However, Ayeh-Paye argued that the driver’s sentencing should not mark the end of inquiries.
He urged the relevant railway sector entities to provide answers regarding the circumstances leading to the accident.
He stated, “Sentencing the driver to 6 months in prison shouldn’t end there. There must be a proper investigation to find out what happened. There are other stakeholders; the railway development authority, who have some questions to answer because they are the regulatory body.
“We have the Ghana Railway Company Limited as well on why they were not able to do proper surveillance. There’s an obstacle on the lines before the train was moved on the line we have to find out, that is the first question…So, for me, I think we shouldn’t end there. Nobody should sit to say that once the driver has been sentenced, it ends it.
“Also, if you look at the pictures we’ve seen so far, you ask yourself, it looks as if somebody just picked the truck and dumped it in the middle of the track. Because you can see weeds behind it and in front of it, so when it came people were saying that it was photoshopped…you see how it was positioned, the middle [part] of the truck was positioned on the line. So, for me, we should not end it here. We must do a proper investigation,” he said.
Ayeh-Paye also pointed out discrepancies in the accident scene, raising suspicions about how the truck was positioned on the tracks.
He urged for a comprehensive investigation to uncover the truth behind the incident.