The five, whose identity are yet to be disclosed, were found to have questions to answer on the incident which occurred at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Regional.

According to information, no female is among the five suspects.

The acting Chief of Army Staff Major General William Azure Ayando led a high-level delegation, which also comprised some members of the Council of State, on a fact-finding mission following the murder.

The delegation was also accompanied by 30 personnel deployed to reinforce security in the community.

The body of the deceased has been flown to Accra.

The Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Irene Oppong, said the five suspects are being sent to Police Regional headquarters in Cape Coast for further interrogation.

5 In custody of Police

“Security situation is under control after a meeting with the District Security Council (DISEC), the police and the military,” ASP Irene Oppong, said.

“We have screened them all and five of them are suspects so we have handed them over to Cape Coast Police while the rest have been freed”. Commenting on evidence with which the Police is going to work with, she said all the videos and pictures on the social media would be used as part of the evidence for the case.

“We don’t want their names to be out for now but there are all males,” she explained.

Investigations, so far, have revealed that Captain Mahama may have shot and injured one person during the mob attack on him.

There are also speculations that his murder was planned to protest an operation to flush out illegal miners in Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region.

‘Operation HALT 2’

The Director of Public Affairs for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Colonel Aggrey Quarshie, told The Finder that Captain Mahama and his colleagues were stationed at Denkyira Obuasi as part of an operation against illegal mining and illegal chain-saw operations.

According to him, the operation dubbed ‘HALT 2’ started some years back to flush out the illegal mining operators, popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

Personnel deployed at 21 locations nationwide

He stated that Ghana Armed Forces has deployed personnel to some 21 locations nationwide as part of ‘HALT 2’ operation. He explained that at some of the locations, personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces partner other security agencies in joint operations to halt illegal mining and illegal chain-saw operations.

He dismissed allegations that the victims and his colleagues were protecting illegal mining operators.

He was categorical that the Ghana Armed Forces deploys personnel to flush out illegal operators and in cases where the illegal operators invade legal concessions.

He confirmed that Captain Mahama went on morning jogging but did not return to base.

Consequently, he said, his colleagues, who were naturally alarmed, went in search of him only find his charred body.