Over a thousand residents poured onto the principal streets of Sogakofe in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region, on Saturday evening, March 7, 2020 to commemorate the one week after the gruesome killing of their Asseblyman, Marcus Mawutor Adzahli.
The residents who were clad in black, singing dirges and holding lighted candles, marched through the town to honour, mourn and pay respects to the memory of Marcus.
The vigil which started at about 7:00pm ended around 9:30pm.
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It started from the Y-Junction through John Miller road and other parts of the Sogakofe township to the barrier.
The procession then joined the ECOWAS highway through to the main Aflao station.
There was a performance by the Sokpoe Asafo (Warrior) groups at Toklokpo, the village of the father of the deceased.
There was also borborbor group performances at the residence of the deceased which is also the family house.
A live band session at the Efam Pub, a popular pub in town was also dedicated to the one-week observation of the death of Marcus.
A resident who is also a member of the Concerned Citizens of Tongu (CCT), Wisdom Yaw Vinyo, described the vigil as a success.
He commended the police for doing a great job at maintaining security for the mammoth procession.
He stressed that although residents are pleased with some of the systems put in place by the police, their request for the arrest of the assailant (s) is still a priority.
Mahama’s Visit
Prior to the vigil, former President John Dramani Mahama led senior members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), to commiserate with the family of Marcus Mawutor Adzahli, who was shot dead in his home by unknown assailants.
He described Marcus as “a young, enterprising…dynamic and influential young business person,” whose death was a great lose to country and not Sogakofe alone.
The recently elected assembly member of Sogakope South electoral area is a known member of the NDC and a philanthropist who has touched many lives.
Mr. Mahama who had been in the region for some party business, said the “circumstances surrounding the failure of the security agencies to respond to numerous calls from the deceased and his neighbours over the period the robbers were trying to break down his door” was worrying.
He urged the police to step up efforts to arrest the perpetrators of “this heinous crime.”
GHC 75,000 Bounty
In a related development, the Volta Caucus of the NDC MPs in Parliament led by the Chairperson and MP for Ho West, Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzrah, and the party’s regional secretary James Gunu, has also commiserated with the family of the deceased.
The caucus, the South Tongu MP, Kobby Woyome and the Constituency Chairman announced a combined GHC30,000.00 bounty for anyone who would offer information for the arrest of the perpetrators and urged residents to cooperate with the investigative team in charge of the case.
This brings the total bounty on the head of the killers to about GHC75,000.
Former President Rawlings pledged GHC25,000 while the Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Letsa and the DCE, Emmanuel Louis Agama donated GHC10,000 each.
From Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)
