After one-hundred and fourteen days (114) of the gruesome murder of the late Major Maxwell Adam Mahama by some residents of Denkyira Obuasi, now New Obuasi, in the Central Region, Today can report that residents in the area are still living in a state of fear and anxiety.
Though life is gradually returning to the once-vibrant town, a recent visit to the area by Today showed that it will take a long time for the residents to gain back their spirits to enable them go about their normal activities.
Some of the returnees who spoke to Today on condition of anonymity revealed that although they were back home, they did not feel safe living in the area.
According to them, they find it difficult to sleep at night, a situation they said, sometimes forces them to keep vigil in case of any military invasion.
To this end, they called on government to, as a matter of urgency, ensure their safety by providing them with adequate security as they go about their normal activities as citizens of Ghana.
The paper also learnt that though some of the residents, mostly the youth, who fled the community after the dastardly act have returned, majority of them, according to their relatives, have vowed never to set their feet again in the town for fear of being arrested.
Significantly, many of the residents, Today was reliably informed, had now turned to God. And this was amply manifested early this month when the 20 suspected murderers of the late army officer stormed the court with Holy Bibles, singing praises to God to the amazement of the jurors and journalists.
Our team discovered further that the beastly incident had affected education and healthcare delivery in the area.
This development, the residents said, was as a result of some medical assistants and teachers who fled the town in the heat of the incident, and have since refused to come back.
“Our pregnant women and their unborn babies are at risk because they have to travel long distances to seek medical help. When someone is in a critical condition, the person may die,” they lamented.
It would be recalled that Denkyira Obuasi (now New Obuasi) on Monday, May 29, this year attracted global attention when some residents of the area pounced on a military officer and beat him to death in broad daylight.
Late Major Maxwell Mahama committed no crime except for the people suspecting he was an armed robber.
Following his demise, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo assured the country, particularly the family of the late military officer, that the perpetrators of that heinous crime would not go unpunished.
The President reiterated his commitment when he paid a visit to the area during his three days tour in the Central Region.
President Akufo-Addo paid his respect at the site of Major Maxwell Mahama’s death.
Acting President of Denkyira-Obuasi, who welcomed President Akufo-Addo to the area at the time, used the occasion to announce the new name of the town, New Obuasi, to the President and the entire country, signifying their repentance.
“The town will now be called New Obuasi,” acting President of the Denkyira Obuasi Traditional Area, Nana Agyei Nkyireye II, announced.
The paramount chief explained that the new name signified the change that has taken place in the town after the tragedy.
Earlier, the family of late Mahama also visited the area to pay their last respect to their departed son.
The clergy were also not left out as some men of God including the renowned International Evangelist, Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, and the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Coast, His Grace, Most Rev. Mathias K. Nketsia, visiting the area to pray for the residents.