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Tamale, Ghana – A former investigative journalist with the Chronicle Newspaper, Edmond Gyebi, has appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo to consider taking action against two soldiers who severely brutalized Christopher Bama for allegedly stealing a mobile phone.
The two soldiers, Corporal Sampson Atuahene who is owner of the mobile phone and Corporal Collins Eyison, an accomplice, tied Christopher to a mango tree and beat him up mercilessly till he became unconscious.
The boy, who was an errand boy to Cpl Atuahene, was further molested by the two soldiers who melted plastic materials and dropped them on his naked body.
It is almost three years since the incident occurred in April 2016, and justice has still not been served and no one seems to care about the present state of the poor victim, Christopher Bama.
In a statement to the media on Wednesday November 21, 2018, the former Northern Regional Editor of the Chronicle, chastised the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for their lackadaisical towards the case which was brought before it after the paper published the first story.
Mr. Gyebi said ..”It is regrettable that CHRAJ has become highly preoccupied or obsessed with only politically instituted complaints to the neglect of other equally important matters of national interest especially in the area of human rights protection.
“I am humbly calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Chief Justice Gloria Akuffo and the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Cynthia Morrison to show personal interest in this matter by adding their voices to the calls for CHRAJ to release their report so that Christopher can receive justice, he opined.
Below is the full statement and a background to the story since it was first reported in the Chronicle Newspaper.
Press Release
21st November, 2018
Military Brutality: The Sad Story of 16-Year Old Christopher Bama
I would like to register my deepest displeasure at the preposterous manner in which the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is going about its independent investigations into a case of serious human rights violation involving a 16 year old boy and some soldiers in Tamale.
It is over two years seven months now (April 2016 till date) after Christopher Bama 16 year old boy was heartlessly assaulted and tortured by some soldiers in Tamale for allegedly stealing a mobile phone.
CHRAJ, as Ghanas constitutionally mandated ombudsman responsible for investigating complaints concerning injustices and unfair treatments of any person by a public officer, the Armed Forces, the Police Service and the Prison Service among others was called upon to investigate. But the Commission has for far too long not been impressive in its mandate especially in this case and many other cases involving weak, poor and the ordinary citizens.
Unlike the way CHRAJ attaches urgency and speed to its investigations into matters of high interest to governments or issues involving top politicians, the rich and influential people; the Commission has been very disappointing and insensitive in handling cases involving those I will like to term as the lower class citizens.
CHRAJ acting as an independent ombudsman on behalf of the state has an obligation under the Article 55 of the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the citizenry. However, the Commission to me has not been up and doing, and is failing on its mandate in fighting human right violations in Ghana.
Arguably, several vulnerable people and victims of violations/brutalities have been denied justice, have lost their dignities or have died out of their worsening conditions because of the maladroitness or ineptitude of CHRAJ to act swiftly or come out with its reports to enable them receive justice.
I therefore will like to condemn CHRAJ for being overly sluggish in completing its findings and coming out with its status report on Christopher Bama since the case was reported to the Commission in 2016.
It is regrettable that CHRAJ has become highly preoccupied or obsessed with only politically instituted complaints to the neglect of other equally important matters of national interest especially in the area of human rights protection.
The Commission has a well-established Regional Office in Tamale, and I do not see why it should take CHRAJ an eternity to gather report on Christopher Bama and the soldiers.
This is clear case of human right violation and torture of a Ghanaian citizen perpetrated by Soldiers who are supposed to protect the citizens. Is it because Christopher Bama and his family are poor and have no powerful voices in the family to speak out or pursue CHRAJ?
What beats my imagination is why the Human Rights Lawyer, Francis Sosu Xavier who took up the matter and promised to seek justice for Christopher Bama has also gone silent for some time now. I dont think his recent ban from the Ghana Legal Council is the basis for his long silence, since this matter has been on his tables for close to three years. I trust his capabilities and I challenge him to act now.
I am humbly calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Chief Justice Gloria Akuffo and the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Cynthia Morrison to show personal interest in this matter by adding their voices to the calls for CHRAJ to release their report so that Christopher can receive justice.
It is also astounding why the Ghana Police Service (Northern Regional Command) and the Military High Command have since closed their eyes on this matter, even though it was reported to them. Those irresponsible soldiers are walking freely on the streets of Tamale and are still in service receiving taxpayers money, whilst the poor boy continues to suffer.
I would like to thus, call on the Defence Minister, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to revisit this matter and give it the necessary attention. The military brutality has led to Christophers inability to have erection for the past two and half years and in an unstable mental condition.
Finally, I am also calling on Lawyer Francis Sosu Xavier who voluntarily chose to fight for the victim and his family to renew his commitment and pursue the case from CHRAJ to its logical conclusion.
SIGNED
Edmond Gyebi
(Journalist & Human Rights Activist
Tel: 0243071443
EMAIL: edmondopapa22@gmail.com
BACKGROUD
Christopher Bama was accused of stealing a TECNO mobile phone. He was handcuffed and hanged on top of a mango tree by two soldiers, Corporal Sampson Atuahene (owner of the mobile phone) and Corporal Collins Eyison (accomplice). With his legs not touching the ground, the 16 year old boy, believed to be an errand boy for Corporal Sampson Atuahene, was mercilessly beaten till he fell unconscious, and yet the soldiers would not show any pity.
To further press on the boy to produce the missing mobile phone he claimed he never took, the two soldiers, melted plastic materials (polythene bags) and dropped them on Christopher’s naked body whilst hanging on top of the tree. Three other soldier friends of Corporal Atuahene who had come to visit, also callously joined hands to further victimize the boy even in his sorry state.
They hit him severally in the head, in the chest and in the abdomen with their boots, according to principal eyewitness, Patience Bama, a sister of Christopher. The cruel behavior of the soldiers put Christophers life at a high risk, as doctors predicted 50-50 chance for his survival at the time.
It is almost three years (two years seven months) after the incident, and justice has still not been served and no one seems to care about the present state of the poor victim, Christopher Bama.
Why He Was Accused
Christopher Bama went to the military quarters at Shishegu, a suburb of Tamale to fetch water with someone’s motorbike. Later, the soldiers called him to come back to the quarters, where they accused him of stealing their mobile phone.
The soldiers seized the borrowed motorbike and asked him to produce the phone, but when he told them he had not seen any phone, they pounced on him and brutally assaulted him. After beating him with several sticks, the soldiers put a gun on his head and threatened to shoot him if he did not produce the phone.
Eyewitness Account
The eyewitness narrated that, I got to the scene where the soldiers were beating my brother, and, in fact, it was unbelievable. Nobody could go to my brother’s rescue. Whenever I tried to plead with them, they turned their anger on me and pushed me down, and I also fainted. My mother also came there, and when she saw the condition of my brother, she could not also bear it, and suddenly also fainted. So some of the people came to our rescue, but for my brother, nobody could go near him. These soldiers were still beating him, using their boots to step on his abdomen and hitting him in the head. My brother’s skin was full of blood and burns, yet he was hanging up there.
Doctors account
The Chief Executive Officer of God Cares Community Hospital in Tamale where Christopher Bama was first admitted, Dr. Richard Opoku described Christopher’s condition as very critical, which required advanced medical examination at a higher facility to save his life.
He said the patient had started behaving abnormally and was persistently vomiting with traces of blood, which, he said, was a sign of head and internal injuries.
Christopher could not pass urine, and was, therefore, given a foley catheter to aid his urination. Foley Catheter is a soft thin rubber tube with a balloon at the tip, which is inserted through the urethra to the bladder to drain urine.
Dr. Richard Opoku later referred the victim to the Tamale Teaching Hospital where they immediately referred him to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Korle Bu also referred him to Nsawam Government Hospital due to damage in their Computerised Tomography (CT) Scanning machine.
He was later sent back to Korle Bu, where he was assigned a Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Nortey Dua.
Dr. Opoku said that apart from the vomiting, Christopher was also in severe pain, with contusions, to the extent that a little touch on his body causes pain.
The main suspect, Corporal Sampson Atuahene refused to give any detailed account of the incident, but admitted the brutal assault on Christopher and described it as an act of the devil.
Police Account
The incident was reported to the Northern Regional Police Command by the family of the victim. The Police told the reporter that there was no way the case would be swept under the carpet.
According to the Northern Regional Crime Offer, ASP John Anane, a letter dated 6th April 2016 was issued by the then Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ken Yeboah requesting the Ghana Airborne Force Command in Tamale to release the suspects for the commencement of Police investigations into the matter. But it is still not clear what the outcome of the police investigations is.
Airborne Force Account
Airborne Force Commanding Officer (CO) of Tamale at the time, Lt. Col. Joseph Malik Punamane confirmed that the matter had come to his notice. He said that the Airborne Force was more than willing to help the Police in their investigations into the assault case.
Three of the soldiers including Corporal Sampson Atuahene were kept in the Military Guard Room, after they were granted police bail.
Apart from what the police are doing to ensure fairness and justice, we as Military Command also have our internal mechanisms to deal with people who offend the laws. So it is not like we are not doing anything about this case. Drastic measures are being taken against them.
Lt. Col. Joseph Malik Punamane who was together with the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the 6 Garrison, Flying Officer Elizabeth F. Salifu, was particularly worried about how some individual officers sometimes soil the image and integrity of the Ghana Armed Forces with their misdemeanor.
Support of the Media
I first reported this story in The Chronicle Newspaper in April 2016 under the caption: 5 Zombies Torture Boy, 16 Into Coma, and did other follow up stories before I resigned from the paper. Joy News Channel expressed interest in the story and called me for all the footages and contact details of the family of Christopher Bama and other relevant persons including the police and Dr. Opoku who first admitted the victim.
The senior brother of the victim, Richard Kombian was as a result invited to the Joy News studios alongside the victim for live TV interview, which compelled the then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Vice Marshal Michael Samson-Oje to step in. The CDS and the PRO of the Ghana Armed Forces personally visited Christopher Bama at the premises of Joy News and declared to personally get to the bottom of the matter.
Involvement of a Lawyer
After Joy News live interview, a human right lawyer in Accra, Francis Xavier Sosu promised on-air to seek justice for Christopher Bama at all cost.
He also called me and I unconditionally offered to help lawyer Sosu by sending copies of all my publications, videos and photos that could help him to have a successful legal battle in court.
Lawyer Francis Sosu reported the matter to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for independent investigations. But two years and seven months down the lane, both CHRAJ and lawyer Francis Sosu are yet to come out with their conclusions. CHRAJ officials have overly relaxed on the matter probably because the lawyer has also relaxed.
Though it is regrettable that Lawyer Sosu suffered a ban from the Ghana Legal Council, it is not enough justification for him to leave the poor boy to suffer and without receiving justice.
Christopher Bama is from a very poor home in the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District of the Northern Region but resides in Tamale. He is now out of school due to his present condition. His senior brother, Richard Kombian who has been responsible for all his medical bills and upkeeps, is out of job now because he offered to take care of Christopher.
The victim, now does not have a stable mind; he sits quietly and only speak to himself. And when you ask him a question he will either not mind you or end up giving a different answer.
Christopher cannot also behold a mere sighting of any person in military uniform, according to the family.
By Savannahnewsonline.com/Philip Liebs
