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The man captured in a viral video being assaulted by personnel of the Ghana Police Service for allegedly possessing an illegal substance suspected to be marijuana has denied being beaten.
According to citinewsroom.com, the victim, who goes by the name Kofi Abeka, said he only fell because of the way he was being held by the policemen.
He added that the police released him after they realised that he had done nothing wrong.
“They didn’t beat me. There is only one truth… When they saw there was nothing bad on me, they let me go.
“When they [the police] held me, it made me fall down… when I fell, one of the police lifted me and saw there was nothing bad on me. That is how it went,” Kofi Abeka is quoted to have said in an interview on Royal FM at Asankragwa.
The viral video showed two officers of the Ghana Police Service beating up Abeka who was ostensibly refusing arrest after being alleged to be in possession of marijuana in a tricycle at Asankragwa, a community in the Western North Region.
The policemen were forcing the man to enter a vehicle, but he was resisting, which led to the police slapping and kicking him as they were telling him to enter the car.
The victim could be heard saying that the package was not for him as the police were hitting him and forcing him into the car.
“It (the package) does not belong to me. Officer the pack is not mine. Officer let me call me director for you. Kindly let me call my director for you.
“It is not mine. Did you see me holding something? I was sitting at the back of the tricycle with some women. Why didn’t you arrest the driver of the tricycle too,” he said in Twi.
The police even announced that it had started formal investigations, through the Police Professional Standards Bureau, into the viral video.
A November 22 statement posted on Facebook confirmed that the incident took place at Asankragwa stressing that the victim had been contacted to assist with investigations.
“The matter is being handled by the Police Professional Standards Bureau and the officers involved, Inspector Prince Awuah and G/Cpl. John Ahiamata both with the Divisional MTTD Asankrangwa have been referred to the Bureau to be taken through the due process of the law,” the statement added.
Watch the viral video below:
