General News of Thursday, 29 March 2001

Source: GNA

32 Held for Murder of Policeman

A combined team of Police and the Military on Wednesday morning stormed Yameriga village where Police Inspector George Musah was murdered on Monday and arrested 32 people, including five women, for interrogation.

The villagers had sought refuge in a pond but were not too smart for the security personnel to grab. Their bodies were smeared with mud and there was sign of tiredness on their faces as they might have been hiding since the incident.

Those arrested included a 32-year old man, Sadiq Teng, who was allegedly shot in the hand during a scuffle with the deceased.

He is on admission at the Bolgatanga General Hospital.

The team also retrieved the AK-47 rifle the Police Inspector used while on duty, his cap, and a cutlass suspected to have been used to slay him.

The Upper East Regional Minister Mr Mahami Salifu, who was at the Regional Police Headquarters to acquaint himself with the situation, advised the Police to be circumspect in dealing with the villagers because most of them could be innocent.

Mr Salifu said a tactical screening of the people could give the Police enough information to effect the arrest of those actually involved in the murder of the Police Inspector.

Police Inspector George Musah, officer in charge of the Tongo Police Post, was murdered in cold blood on Monday when he and another Policeman went to Yameriga village, near Tongo, in the Bolgatanga District to arrest a suspected sheep thief.

They were obstructed by a mob of youth from the village and on their way back to the office, the group ambushed them.

Inspector Musa was butchered to death while his colleague managed to escape.