Director of Programmes at the Institute for Human Rights Development Africa, Edward Foley has said that the state has a duty to investigate three police officers who secretly buried a man who died in custody.

This according to the Human Rights lawyer is because international norms place an obligation on governments to investigate such extrajudicial killings.

He said the Bono East Crime Officer, Supt Kennedy Adusei admitting that a wrong had been done is the first step to take to seek justice.
“It is sad that we are hearing this story. I don’t recall that we have heard such an infraction in our history that the police who are expect to have known better have come to this point,” he said.

The Human Right Lawyer further said the investigation should not only end at the independent body but called for the involvement of Professional Standards Bureau.

He added that the result of the investigations must be made known to the public as well.
“We’ve had many investigations into police misconduct and we don’t know where they have ended so it is important within the context of this issue, that the State gives the citizen the result,” he said.

He further cited the case of Derek Chauvin who was found guilty in the death of George Floyd in the United States whose trial and result was known to all.

“We just can recall this week the end of the trial of Derek Chauvin in the United States and see the public nature of the trial and sending the message to all the world that such conduct will not be countenance and so we should not only just hear about the interdiction we should see the end result of this matter,” he indicated.
The Bono Regional Police Command Friday, indicted three officers at the Seikwa police station for allegedly brutalizing a suspect in custody to death and secretly burying him.

The trio, identified as Chief Inspector Eric Aforo, station officer at Seikwa Police, and two other officers namely General Corporal Williams Akussumg and General Constable Ebenezer Akuffo, have since been interdicted.

“We have information that the man was brutalized by the police and buried secretly so upon the instructions of the Regional Police Command, those who are alleged to have taken part in this heinous crime have been sent to Sunyani,” the Bono Regional Crime Officer Supt Kennedy Adusei disclosed in a radio interview.