Gunning down 2 brothers: ‘Cops must pay for action’

2007 batch of students of the Health Training School in Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo region have urged acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), John Kudalor, to arrest the police officers who mistakenly shot a tutor of Asante Mampong Midwifery Training School and his younger brother

That, according to group, will serve as deterrent to other law enforcers in the country.

Francis Gbene,34, an Anatomy and Physiology teacher, and his brother, Thaddeus Gbene,28, were allegedly shot in the back and head respectively at about 2:00 A.M., by law enforcers on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.

However, the student group in a strong-worded press statement signed by convener of 2007 batch of Rural Health Training School in Kintampo, Mr. Kofi Kassano, and copied to Today in Accra over the weekend, described the incident as “very sad and untimely.”

The deceased met their untimely deaths whilst trying to save a female teacher at the school whose residence was purportedly being attacked by armed robbers.

“Today is yet another sad day for Ghana. The state police, who are paid from our taxes and supposed to provide security and protect lives and act professionally, are rather the very ones taking lives,” the statement noted.

“…nothing and absolutely nothing warranted the gunning down of two innocent Ghanaians at the Mampong Midwifery Training School in Ashanti. A terribly unexpected error by the police officers has turned a wife into a widow before sun rose on Tuesday, [Feb., 09, 2016].

…A breadwinner is gone because another breadwinner, policeman, mistook him for armed robber,” the statement said.

The group in the statement demanded from the ministry of interior a transparent, collaborative and thorough inquiry into the action(s) of the Mampong Police officers who allegedly shot to death at close range the two brothers.

“We do not trust the police administration to do a professional inquiry into the incident.

“…the ‘road’ side rationalisation of the incident to protect the police officers by the Ashanti Police PRO, Yusif Tanko, is an indication of our suspicion that the police cannot be trusted to do a professional and truthful inquiry. The police officers must pay for their trigger instinct policing,” the statement stressed.

According to the statement, “our information points to the fact that even after the shots were fired at them, Francis was still alive and even tried calling for help.

The statement indicated that an eyewitness testified to the police that Francis was not a robber while at the same time, Francis was begging the police to send him to the hospital but the police “wickedly” turned down the request.

Consequently, it claimed that the police delayed for almost two (2) hours before taking Francis to the Mampong General Hospital where he died.

“This action by the police officers is inhuman and it is barbaric at its apex,” the statement averred.

The group pointed out that “the police may have the might of guns and other fire arms, but they are certainly not mightier than the collective will of the people.”

They subsequently demanded answers and inquiry into the death of their colleague and his brother.

According to the group, they will resist any form(s) of rationalisation to twist the incident to protect those police officers who killed the two brothers.