Ejura disturbances: Five personalities at the center of the incident

• The president has ordered a probe into the death and that of two others who were killed whiles demanding justice

• GhanaWeb looks at five personalities who have become central in the death and its aftermath

The better part of last week was dominated by news from Ejura in the Ashanti Region, starting off with the death of an activist who had been attacked and fatally wounded days prior.

Ibrahim Mohammed a.k.a. Macho Kaaka died of his injuries whilst receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

After his burial a week ago, Ejura youth took to the streets to protest and demand justice for the deceased, the incident resulted in the shooting to death of two others by a military reimforcement team called in by the regional minister based on intelligence gathered.

As the families and people of Ejura deepen calls for justice and closure, amid two probed by the police and a ministerial inquiry ordered by the president, GhanaWeb profiles five personalities who have been at the center of the Ejura shooting.

Ibrahim Mohammed a.k.a. Macho Kaaka

The 40-year-old dreadlocked activist was known to use his social media handle to point and call out failures by political leadership especially at the local level.

Being a member of the #FixTheCountry campaign also added to his social media activism, so when he was attacked; many reasons were ascribed but chiefly among them was that he must have been targeted for making government unpopular.

The entire episode thus far revolves around his person as his family and that of two others continue to push for justice to be done – a promise the police and government have vowed to deliver on.

Salisu Bamba, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ejura Sekyeredumase 

Salisu Bamba, the MCE for Ejura Sekyeredumase has been under fire since the attack and more so after the death of Kaaka.

Some media reports said bodyguards known to be affiliated to him had carried out the attack on Kaaka, a claim he has vehemently denied stressing that he did not move around with bodyguards because he didn’t have any.

Then late last week he had cause to rubbish reports that he has been fired by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb he said: “It is not true that I have been sacked. There have been a lot of false publications about me but I want to state that I have not been sacked.

“I’m still at post and carrying out my duties as MCE. I have not received any publication to the effect that I have been sacked.”

Bawah Mohammed Braimah, Member of Parliament for Ejura/Sekyedumase

The MP for Ejura/Sekyedumase, Bawah Mohammed Braimah has also had a busy last week with events in his constituency.

From accusing the MCE of being behind the chaos in the area to challenging security report that the protesting youth were armed at a time the military was called in.

He has also made demands of government amongst others that the state pays the full medical bills of the victims of the Ejura shooting incident and compensate them adequately.

“I am very sad and disappointed in the Regional Security Council, especially the Regional Minister because this incident happened last week Tuesday, and it was reported that six people have been shot and two have died.

“Per the narration of the minister, he said he deployed the soldiers and the fallout was that four are injured and two have died, you only focused on the dead and left those who got injured,” he said when he visited some victims at the hospital recently.

Simon Osei-Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister

One question that remained on the lips of most Ghanaians and security analysts was, who ordered the military deployment at a time the police was engaging with the protesters.

That answer came from the Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah who whiles speaking on the Kasapa Morning Show, defended his decision citing intelligence gathered that the youth had targeted to set ablaze the police station and other installations in the town.

“There are several questions that: who really ordered the soldiers to go there? I ordered them to go there. I requested the military to offer us support, as head of the Regional Security Council.

“I got intelligence that they [youth] said after the burial of Kaaka, they will move and burn the police station and burn to death two persons who the police are keeping in custody in connection with the death of Kaaka. So, I realized that wouldn’t help and truly they were going to do that,” he explained.

Baba Iddi – Brother of the deceased

The brother of the deceased, one Baba Iddi, has been identified by a an eyewitness as the culprit in the attack that led to Kaaka’s death.

A neighbour claims that she witnessed the attack on Macho Kaaka, and that she saw Baba Iddi, attacking Kaaka after which he pulled the body of the deceased away from the scene of the murder.

She narrated that, she heard noise outside whilst preparing for dawn prayers (Salat al-Subhi) but didn’t know what Baba was doing at the time.

She continued that she thought Kaaka was trying to move goats from the compound when she first heard the noise but then it continued consistently and then she heard Kaaka breathing heavily.

“I saw Baba Iddi, Kaaka’s brother trying to pull him into darkness and so I quickly rushed to knock on Kaaka’s wife’s door for her to come witness the incident and that was when Baba Iddi left Kaaka and went outside,” she said in an interview with Kessben TV.

Baba Iddi is currently in police grips as investigations continue.

GhanaWeb will continue to follow developments on the story and keep our readers updated.