Akwasi Boah, one of the 14 alleged murderers of Major Maxwell Adams Mahama, an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), has identified himself in an amateur video on the crime.
The accused was seen in the video smashing a cement block on the head of the military officer when the footage was shown at the High Court, in Accra.
Boah, 43, confirmed to the court that he really threw the block, but could not confirm where it landed because after throwing the block, he left the scene.
Fourteen persons are before the court over the alleged murder of Major Mahama, who was an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, Burma Camp.
The late Major Mahama was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region, when on May 29, 2017, some residents allegedly lynched him.
The mob had ignored Major Mahama's persistent plea that he was an officer of the GAF.
The accused persons are William Baah, Assembly Member of Denkyira-Obuasi, Bernard Asamoah, also known as (a.k.a) Daddy, Kofi Nyame, a.k.a Abortion, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kubi, Michael Anim and Bismarck Donkor.
Others are John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu, Bismarck Abanga and Kwadwo Anima.
Boah said the previous day, before the incident on May 29, 2017,
he was returning from Dunkwa-on-Offin and on reaching a place called "24", he was attacked by armed robbers with pistols, AK 47 and other ammunition.
Boah said, on hearing that there had been a shoot-out between an alleged armed robber and young men in the town, resulting in the stray bullet hitting one of them and the robber killed, he visited the scene.
The accused said he saw Major Mahama and the gun used in the shoot-out, which resembled the gun used by the robbers to rob him the previous day at "24".
"This made me angry and feeling the pain in me and how l was maltreated, and my monies taken away from me, I decided to throw the block at him, even though I know he was dead," accused said.
Boah said it was when he got home the same day that he got information that the alleged robber was a military officer, he asked himself, "What a Soldier was doing around this area, because there is no military establishment in the area."
Boah said he also heard that soldiers were beating anyone they could see, resulting in people fleeing.
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Boah said he fled to his brother in a neighbouring community, but was brought back to the police station, and a statement was taken from him.
Mrs Frances Mullen-Ansah, Chief State Attorney, in a cross-examination, suggested to the accused person that the late Major Mahama was not a well-built man but Mr Boah disagreed. The Chief State Attorney also suggested to the accused that it was not true that he was not at the scene, when Major Mahama was lynched but the accused person disagreed.
It was at this stage that Mr Mullen-Ansah showed the accused in open court the video, where he was wearing a blue-black T-shirt, smashing the deceased's head with the block and he agreed he was the one but disagreed, smashing the head of the deceased.
The accused person said he got to the scene after Major Mahama was lynched. The case has been adjourned to March 7, 2023.
