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0 Member of Parliament for Ejura-Sekyedumase, Mohammed Bawa Braimah, has criticised the manner in which the Police in Ejura handled the case involving the late Masawudu Shaibu.
Speaking in an interview with 3news on January 15, he recounted the chain of events leading up to the chaos and raised concerns about police conduct.
The MP said that Masawudu Shaibu, a resident of Ejura, reportedly turned himself in upon police invitation after being implicated in a theft case involving a missing phone which he had bought from a young man.
According to the MP, Shaibu went voluntarily to the police station to provide his statement. However, he was arrested and detained in police custody after 10:00pm on Friday 10th January 2025.
While in custody, the suspect began complaining of abdominal pains and started vomiting in the police cell.
“The police took him to the hospital, but unfortunately, he passed on,” Bawa Braimah revealed.
The lifeless body was subsequently transported to the mortuary in Mampong from Ejura Hospital where he passed on without the knowledge of the hospital’s medical superintendent by the police.
When news of his death broke, rumors spread that he had died due to police brutality.
These claims sparked outrage among the youth of the area, leading them to storm the Ejura Police Station, setting it ablaze, and destroying vehicles parked on the premises.
The MP narrated his efforts to calm the situation. Upon learning of the unrest, he contacted community leaders, including assembly members and religious leaders, appealing to them to intervene.
“I pleaded with the youth and asked the divisional police commander to call for reinforcements to contain the situation. However, the response was inadequate,” Hon. Braimah explained.
He blamed the police for their perceived lack of preparation, stating that they could have anticipated the youth’s reaction and taken proactive measures. “The police knew the risks involved in handling such a sensitive case, yet their response was insufficient to prevent this unfortunate incident,” he stated.
The Ejura MP raised critical questions about the police’s handling of the case, particularly regarding Shaibu’s detention and the subsequent handling of his death.
“Why was Shaibu, who voluntarily turned himself in, detained overnight instead of being granted bail? Why was there a delay in taking him to the hospital after he complained of discomfort?” he asked.
The MP also expressed concern about the decision to transport Shaibu’s body to Mampong without consulting his family or conducting a proper autopsy.
“In a case such as this, where there are allegations of police brutality, it is unacceptable to release the body without a thorough examination,” he emphasized.
He explained” I personally instructed the police not to release the body to the family but before I knew, they have already done that. So, I had to direct the family to return the body to the hospital for autopsy to be conducted to clear every rumor surrounding his death. Before that I had already made arrangement for pathologist from Kumasi to come in to conduct the autopsy’’ he said.
According to the MP, preliminary autopsy results suggested that Shaibu had an underlying medical condition that contributed to his death. “This finding could explain his sudden demise,” Bawa Braimah stressed.
Tension was high in the Ejura community on Saturday, following the death of Masawudu Shaibu, a 26-year-old man who died in police custody.
Not happy by the circumstances surrounding his death, angry youth set the Ejura Police Station ablaze, alongside police vehicles and other properties.
The post Ejura Police Station destruction: Police could have handled case better – MP first appeared on 3News.
