Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Source: Daily Guide

Military vehicle kills man in Kumasi

A military vehicle with registration number 41GA92 on the midnight of Friday knocked and killed a man at Dakwadwom in Kumasi.

The deceased who was later identified as Dennis Atto, 22, a resident of Dakwadwom, was about to cross the road when the calamity struck.

Surprisingly, the driver in charge of the vehicle, (name not known) drove at top speed from the scene in order not to be spotted, leaving the victim to his fate.

Atto, who was still alive after the crash, was later rushed by some Good Samaritans to the Kwadaso SDA Hospital where he died later.

A taxi driver who witnessed the gory spectacle gave the military vehicle a wild chase and managed to pick the vehicle’s registration number.

The driver of the military vehicle reportedly went into hiding until the bold taxi driver reported the matter to Kessben FM where the registration number of the vehicle was mentioned.

Minutes after Kessben FM’s announcement, some military men rushed to the Asokwa Divisional Police to confirm that the vehicle under contention belonged to the military.

Abraham Boadi aka ‘Oppoman’, assemblyman for Nhyiaeso, praised Kessben FM for their good work which had helped to revive the case, adding that the taxi driver also deserved commendation.

Speaking on Kessben FM, he said it was not his wish to tarnish the image of the military, but the driver in charge of the vehicle erred by not attending to the victim after knocking him down.

Meanwhile, when contacted, ASP K.K. Kawodie, the Asokwa Divisional Police MTTU commander, said his outfit was still investigating the case.

According to him, the victim was knocked down by the military vehicle being driven by a civilian driver who worked with the army on the midnight of July 19.

ASP Kawodie confirmed that the driver, after knocking down Atto, sped from the accident scene, perhaps, to escape arrest.

He said a taxi driver chased the army car, picked its registration number and later reported the incident to Kessben FM, which announced the incident.

ASP Kawodie noted that some personnel from the Military Police on Sunday and Monday mornings visited his office to assist in investigations.

He said the military have admitted that the vehicle under the contention belonged to them.

The police officer said the military have also assured that they would hand over the driver of the vehicle to the police to assist in investigations.

ASP Kawodie praised the military hierarchy in the region for their cooperation so far, with regard to investigations into the matter.