Fourteen years ago some bodyguards of former President Jerry John Rawlings perished on the Tema Motorway, when a Nissan Urvan mini-bus reportedly crossed them on the express road.

Last Saturday night, a similar disaster nearly occurred, this time on the Tema-Akosombo highway at Shai Hills, when one of the dispatch riders assigned to the former president lost control and crashed into a hearse sustaining serious injuries.

The bodyguards accompanying the former President reportedly pounced on the driver, whose car was hit by the dispatch driver, and beat him up.

They later forced him into one of the cars following Mr. Rawlings, but instead of sending him to the police, the convoy drove straight to the home of the former President’s mother at Tema, where Mr. Rawlings spent close to two and half hours, before the driver was later sent to the police station and detained.

The Chronicle’s investigations revealed that at about 20:00 hours, the former president was returning to Accra from the direction of Akosombo with a convoy of three vehicles, backed by two dispatch riders, one in front and the other at the rear.

This reporter was told that the fender of the dispatch rider reportedly hit a Lashibi Funeral Home hearse, with registration GX 1962-14, which was also on its way from the Volta Region, after delivering a body for burial. The resultant impact caused the rider to crash to the ground.

The convoy, therefore stopped, took the injured rider into one of the three vehicles, and headed to the 37 Military Hospital. The driver of the hearse and a colleague were allegedly manhandled and shoved into a second vehicle, which took them first to Tema Community eight, where President Rawlings went to greet his mother.

It is alleged that those arrested remained in the vehicle for close to two hours, before being sent to the Motor Traffic and Transport Division of the Accra Central Police Station.

The driver, Prosper Adisu, 35, has since remained in police custody, even though he has complained of a severe headache as a result of the alleged manhandling by Rawlings security guards.

His colleague, Cephas Ahorveh, 37, who narrated the story further, stated that owners of the hearse, the Lashibi Funeral Home, only went for the ignition key from a certain Otu, believed to be one of the bodyguards of the former president, and was also the complainant in the case.

The Staff Officer at the Central MTTD, Mr. Akrofi, confirmed the story to the media, and stated that since the incident took place near Afienya, the office was preparing an extract to that station for further investigations.