Police Brutalities – IGP Orders Interdiction

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) , Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, has ordered the immediate interdiction of two policemen following brutalities they meted out to a petty trader, Emmanuel Nii Odartey at Awutu Bawjiase. He has also ordered a service enquiry for the two to be tried at the Police Headquarters, after which an administrative action will be taken against them. The two policemen, General Constable Francis Tagaar and General Constable Samuel Nketia, both of the Agona Swedru Police Division, may also face criminal prosecution following the Attorney-General's advice. The IGP made this known in Accra Thursday when he met the victim, who suffered severe injuries and permanent incapacitation as a result of the brutalities, and some of the victim's family members. The IGP sent for them when he became aware of the plight of the victim through a publication in the April 14, 2008 issue of this paper. Mr Acheampong said a report on Odartey would also be sent to the AG's office to ensure that appropriate compensation was paid to him. Meanwhile, the IGP has directed the Medical Director at the Police Hospital to conduct a thorough medical examination on Odartey and offer the necessary medical treatment, the cost of which would be borne by the Ghana Police Service. He warned that the Police Administration would deal ruthlessly with any policeman who abused the rights of suspects. The IGP said the police were expected to exhibit civility towards all manner of persons and be professional and firm in the discharge of their duties. He assured the victim and his family that justice would be done and that the policemen would be brought to book. A twin brother of the victim, Isaac Nii Odartey, who spoke on behalf of the family, thanked the IGP for the assistance and expressed the hope that other policemen would take a cue from what happened to his brother and treat whoever they interacted with well. It would be recalled that the Daily Graphic carried the story about a 26-year-old petty trader who filed a suit against the IGP and the Attorney-General at the High Court because he had allegedly been subjected to extreme police brutality, leading to severe injuries and permanent incapacitation. On March 27, 2005, Odartey was allegedly assaulted by the two policemen with a police truncheon that was thrusted in his lower abdomen several times, subsequently lifted from the floor in handcuffs to a height on a ceiling and left hanging as blood oozed from his ears and nostrils. For the past three years, he had not been able to work as a result of the beatings and his condition was said to have deteriorated, which led to his family launching an appeal for funds through the Daily Graphic to enable him to obtain medical treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to save his life. Dr Nii Okai Okantey, a principal medical officer at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, assessed the patient's incapacitation at over 60 per cent permanent, with "loss of hearing in the left ear, partial loss of hearing in the right ear, bradikinesia (slowed walking) and stiffness of neck".