Accused in Mahama murder trial identified himself in video
Akwasi Boah, one of the 14 alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Adams Mahama, has identified himself in an amateur video of the crime.
The accused person was seen in the video smashing a cement block on the head of the Military Officer when the footage was shown in open court.
Boah, 43 years old, confirmed to the Court that he really threw the block but could not confirm where it landed because after throwing the block with his two hands, he turned and left the scene.
Fourteen persons are before an Accra High Court over the alleged murder of Major Mahama, who was an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Burma Camp.
The late Major Mahama was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region when on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly lynched him.
The mob had ignored his persistent plea that he was an Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused persons are William Baah, the Assembly member of Denkyira-Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.
He said the previous day, before the incident on May 29, 2017, he was returning from Dunkwa-on-Offin and on reaching a place called “24”, he was attacked by armed robbers with pistols, AK 47 and other ammunition.
Boah said, on hearing that there had been a shoot-out between an alleged armed robber and young men in the town, resulting in the stray bullet hitting one of them and the robber killed, he decided to visit the scene.
He said upon reaching the scene, he saw the deceased and the gun used in the shoot-out, which resembled the gun used by the robbers to rob him the previous day at “24”.
“This made me angry and feeling the pain in me and how l was maltreated, and my monies taken away from me, l decided to throw the block at him, even though l know he was dead,” he added.
He said it was when he got home the same day that he got information that the alleged robber was a Military Officer, he asked himself, “what a Soldier was doing around this area, because there is no Military establishment in the area.”
Boah said he also heard that Soldiers were beating anyone they could see, resulting in people fleeing. He also fled to his brother in a neighbouring community but was brought back to the Police Station to report himself, where a statement was taken from him.
Mrs Frances Mullen-Ansah, Chief State Attorney, in a cross-examination, suggested to the accused person that the late Major Mahama was not a well-built man but Mr Boah disagreed.
The Chief State Attorney also suggested to the accused that it was not true that he was not at the scene, when Major Mahama was lynched but the accused person disagreed.
It was at this stage that Mr Mullen-Ansah showed the accused in open court the video, where he was wearing a blue-black T-shirt, smashing the deceased’s head with the block and he agreed he was the one but disagreed, smashing the head of the deceased
The accused person said he got to the scene after Major Mahama was lynched.
The case has been adjourned to March 7, 2023.
Source: GNA