Dr. Mensah Manye, the Medical Superintendent of the Ejura Government Hospital, says he released the bodies of casualties in the Ejura disturbances to angry protesters who stormed the facility to protect his life and that of his staff.
Dr. Mensah Manye disclosed this on Thursday, July 8, 2021, when he appeared before the ministerial committee probing the disturbances.
He explained that, upon hearing the news of the death of two protesters, the youth massed up at the hospital and threatened to “burn” the facility if the bodies were not released to them immediately.
The Medical Superintendent said he had wanted the bodies to be taken to the mortuary for autopsy due to the circumstances under which the persons died, but the angry youth won’t budge.
“As usual, in things of this nature, I advised that the bodies be kept for further investigation because as a doctor I had to take all the necessary precautions. So after the death of the two, they (protesters) said they want to take the bodies, but I said no, we don’t do that here and that we have measures we take before releasing such bodies, but [they became angrier when] they realized I was delaying their time.”
“I even suggested we call the police to come in so the bodies will be taken to the mortuary for postmortem, but they resisted, saying they will burn down the hospital if I tried. They also threatened that they will beat us if we delayed them any further. So I felt our lives were in danger, so I also started calling, but they also couldn’t come under that condition. So because of the agitation for the release of the body, I reluctantly released the bodies to prevent the bodies from being burnt and also save the lives of my staff and myself. So I quickly released the bodies,” he told the committee.
Background
The violence occurred during protests that followed the death of Ibrahim Muhammed.
Ibrahim Muhammed, alias Kaaka Macho, died after he was attacked on June 27 while returning home.
He’s believed to have been killed because he was critical of the government.
The 45-year-old was noted to be vocal on both local and national issues using his Facebook page.
Police in the Ashanti Region have since arrested three persons in connection with his death and put them before court.
Ibrahim Muhammed was buried on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, alongside the two others who died in the protest.
