The family of Joseph Entsie, a 53-year-old taxi driver who allegedly died in a police cell, is calling on Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare to ensure justice for him.
The call comes after a second autopsy was performed on his body by the Western Regional Police command.
Joseph Enstie, who is popularly known as Poppey, was a taxi driver with the main Fijai Taxi Station in the Sekondi Takoradi metropolis.
He is said to have knocked down a police officer with his taxi at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital area on the 25th of December, 2021, leading to his arrest.
He, however, allegedly died whilst at the Sekondi police cell.
The initial report from the police revealed that the driver died after hanging himself.
His family led by Kwame Appiah, who went to the mortuary for the postmortem, was told by the pathologist that he died before the trousers was tied around his neck.
The Western Regional Police Command also ordered for a second autopsy, a situation that has made the family angry.
In a press conference on Monday, January 31, Kwame Appiah indicated that the police had no right to have conducted the second autopsy without the involvement of the family.
He indicates that they were later called by the police to come for the body of their relative without disclosing the autopsy result to them.
“They conducted the second autopsy on Friday in the afternoon against the will of the family. They called us later to come for the dead body of our family member without telling us the results of the second autopsy. This is lawlessness on the part of the police. They intentionally killed our family member after the arrest and they are trying to cover it. We want justice in the case else we shall take the laws into our hands to do whatever we want,” he noted.
The wife of the deceased, Grace Ofori, on her part, expressed worry about the situation.
According to her, she has three children with her late husband. She is worried about the future of the children now that her husband is dead.
“I am appealing to the IGP to look into the issue. My husband is not a bad person so I was surprised to have realized that he was maltreated by the police. He does not take alcohol. I have three children, I have no one to take care of them, my rent is even due and there is nothing I can do. My husband was killed by the police but they don’t want to be truthful. They must reveal the truth,” she indicated.
The story of the death and arrest of the taxi driver was initially reported on Connect FM’s Omanbapa morning show hosted by Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson.
By Eric Nana Gyetuah|Connect FM|3news.com|Ghana