Though not proven beyond doubt, reports say Elrad Salifu Amoako, the 16-year-old boy suspected to have driven his parents’ vehicle at breakneck speed which crashed into another vehicle and killed two girl aged 12 on the spot may be flown out of the country nicodemusly.
The concern is that if the key suspect is allowed to leave the jurisdiction while investigations are underway and ahead of a possible prosecution, it would be a major lapse which could affect justice delivery.
Meanwhile social media, especially Facebook, Snapchat and TikToc, is awash with viral videos of the same suspect -Elrad Salifu Amoako- recklessly driving other vehicles at an unbelievably top speed way above accepted limits in residential areas.
Elrad Salifu Amoako is believed to have self recorded the said videos and published them on social media. His reasons remain unknown for now.
The attitude of Elrad Salifu Amoako captured in the videos suggest his style of driving last Saturday, as captured on CCTV, was not the first time the teenage boy was driving in such a reckless and lawless manner.
The jaw-dropping development has resurrected an old video in which the father of the suspect, a popular Ghanaian Christian leader by name Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako was heard saying that he himself breaks road traffic regulations in Ghana and that the Ghana Police Service dare not stop him for questioning.
“If you follow American Police, you will never drive. They are always on your nerves. In my country, when the Police see me, they salute. They call me General Sir; General Sir, and I am gone. Without a Driver’s License, I have been driving. Without a car number plate, I have been driving. Who born you by mistake to stop me; because if you stop me, I will call your boss. I will call your boss”, Bishop Salifu Amoako was heard saying in the video which appears to have been taken during one of his church activities outside Ghana.
Bishop Salifu Amoako Arrested
On Tuesday October 15, the Ghana Police Service confirmed the arrest of Bishop Salifu and his wife, Mouha Amoako, in the capacity as parents of the teenage suspect and are helping in investigations into the incident.
The Police, through an official statement, said investigations have so far established that on 12th October 2024, suspect driver, Elrad Salifu Amoako, aged 16, driving a Jaguar SUV vehicle with registration number GN 7801 – 20 with one other occupant, rammed into a 4×4 Acura vehicle also with registration number GR 2542 – 23, driven by Joseph Ackah with four other occupants, at Mensah Wood Street at East Legon. Both cars caught fire and burned beyond recognition.
The investigation further indicates that three of the five victims in the Acura vehicle during the accident were rescued, and the other two identified as Justine Agbenu and Maame Dwomoh, both 12 years of age, lost their lives. Two of the rescued victims who sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged, while the third is still on admission receiving medical attention.
The suspect driver with the other occupant in the Juaguar vehicle were also rescued and are currently on admission at the hospital.
“Meanwhile, a team from the Police Management Board, led by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, today 15th October 2024, visited the bereaved family to commiserate with them and also visited the injured at the hospital.
“The Police would like to assure the public of a thorough investigation into the accident to bring closure to the affected family, as we continue to remember them in our prayers in this difficult time”, the Police statement noted.
