Alleged killing of soldier: MP tells Attorney General to ensure swift, fair, fearless prosecution

The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman Henry Ernest Norgbey has said the Attorney General’s Department must ensure swift, fair, fearless, and successful prosecution of all the suspects involved in the alleged killing of soldier Imoro Sherrif.

He also said the courts should return a verdict that serves as a bold line of deterrence to all persons who may want to break the law.

On Monday March 13, the six suspected persons who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of a soldier Imoro Sheriff were denied bail by the Ashaiman Circuit Court.

They were denied bail after Prosecutor Supt. Sylvester Asare told the court that granting them will affect investigations.

The Police made additional arrests following the murder of Sherrif in Ashaiman on Saturday, March 4.

The suspects, Safianu Musah, alias Dayorgu, Ibrahim Abdul Rakib, Samuel Tetteh, alias Wiper, Abubakar Sadick, alias Birdman, Yussif Mohammed and Abdul Gafaru Abdul Karim were arrested between Thursday, March 9 and Sunday, March 12.

They were arrested at various locations within Ashaiman and its environs, according to a statement issued by the Ghana Police Service.

In a statement, the lawmaker, Mr Norgbey said “I commend the Ghana Police Service for their calm but swift and professional conduct thus far in meticulously investigating the circumstances surrounding Trooper Imoro’s death. Through their efforts thus far, the Ghana Police have assured the good people of Ashaiman and the entire population of Ghana that the Ghana Police Service, led by the IGP COP George Akuffo Dampare, have the capacity and competence to investigate all horrifying crimes, including the kind that took Trooper Imoro to an early grave.

“The good people of Ghana and Ashaiman will forever remember the noble services of the men and women of the Ghana Police Service to Ashaiman when it mattered most.

“I pray that the Attorney-General’s Department will subsequently ensure swift, fair, fearless and successful prosecution of all the suspects involved in the alleged killing of Trooper Imoro and for our courts to return a verdict that serves as a bold line of deterrence to all persons who may want to break the law.”

Below is the full statement…

STATEMENT OF ERNEST HENRY NORGBEY, MP FOR ASHAIMAN, ON THE ARREST OF SIX SUSPECTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE ALLEGED KILLING OF TROOPER IMORO.

1. I have received, with great relief, news that the Ghana Police Service has arrested six people at various places in Ashaiman in connection with the cruel killing of Trooper Imoro Sheriff.

2. While I admit that an arrest, without more, does not fully complete the pursuit of justice and that successful prosecution is critical to the lawful resolution of all crimes, I believe that the apprehension of the six suspects is a giant step towards unravelling the mystery surrounding the shocking killing of the young soldier.

3. I commend the Ghana Police Service for their calm but swift and professional conduct thus far in meticulously investigating the circumstances surrounding Trooper Imoro’s death.

4. Through their efforts thus far, the Ghana Police have assured the good people of Ashaiman and the entire population of Ghana that the Ghana Police Service, led by the IGP COP George Akuffo Dampare, have the capacity and competence to investigate all horrifying crimes, including the kind that took Trooper Imoro to an early grave. The good people of Ghana and Ashaiman will forever remember the noble services of the men and women of the Ghana Police Service to Ashaiman when it mattered most.

5. I pray that the Attorney-General’s Department will subsequently ensure swift, fair, fearless and successful prosecution of all the suspects involved in the alleged killing of Trooper Imoro and for our courts to return a verdict that serves as a bold line of deterrence to all persons who may want to break the law.

6. May I use this opportunity to once more demand that the Parliament or an Independent Committee investigate the conduct and misconduct of the soldiers who were unlawfully deployed at Ashaiman on the 7th day of March 2023, supposedly to find the alleged killers of Trooper Imoro.

7. The proposed investigation must establish the identities of the officers responsible for the unlawful deployment and those of the soldiers who took the law into their own hands to brutalise, torture and dehumanise innocent residents of Ashaiman to find the alleged killers of Tropper Imoro.

8. The state must punish all those involved in the unlawful deployment and the resulting hooliganism that brought the image of the Ghana Armed Forces into disrepute.

9. Let me also use this opportunity to repeat my earlier call for calm in Ashaiman and to reassure the citizens of Ashaiman that I, as their representative in Parliament, will work day and night to ensure that JUSTICE is done concerning the killing of Trooper Imoro and the human rights abuses resulting from the unlawful deployment of soldiers in Ashaiman.

10. I extend my deepest condolences to the family of Trooper Imoro over the gruesome killing of their beloved son. In the same vein, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to all the people of Ghana who suffered various cases of abuse at the hands of our military on the 7th Day of March 2023.