Instant Mob Action!!!

By Eunice Eyiaba Baidoo

The impact was massive. The nation was gripped with grief and distress. For most people, it was a good practice gone horribly wrong. We always do it once you are responsible for hijacking that fowl from the coop. Was it surprising we were all taken aback? A great yes! Tradition they say, should never surprise the perpetrators, so why the outcry?

About two months ago, Major Maxwell Adams Mahama, then still a Captain in the Ghana army, was murdered by residents of Denkyira Obuasi, after allegedly being mistaken for an armed robber, when local townsmen allegedly saw him jogging early on Monday morning, May 29th, 2017.

When the news broke, accompanied by gory videos and images on how the late Major was murdered, Ghanaians were in great shock. Sad and confused about the whole incident, though I didn't know him personally, I was perplexed and could not deal with it. It took me a long time before I became normal again. And even that was after his burial service.

The reaction of the Ghanaian people in relation to the tragedy about the late major, made it look like he was a sacrificial lamb whose blood had been used to wash away the sins of Ghanaians concerning the injustice of instant mob action. There was remorse in the nation; even the weather was in harmony with how we felt. It was very dull.

A mob is a rabble that is disorderly and is prone on causing trouble or violence. Mob action attack on the other hand is when rebellious people act together without authority of law. They deliberately disturb the public peace by the use of violence. In most cases, a mob torments thieves or supposed thieves; they do not have time for investigations.

My question is, did the demise of the Major really change the people of Ghana in connection to the instant justice being given to thieves and sometimes innocent people?

Take a detour of events that unraveled right before my eyes last Monday, while waiting to catch a bus at the Awoshie-Anyaa market; it was an interesting spectacle indeed.

I was anxiously waiting for a bus which was taking long in arriving, when all of a sudden, I saw a taxi cross a bus and parked for a passenger to alight, right where I was standing. Before I could think of what was happening, a woman got off the taxi and headed straight for the parked bus. She screamed loudly thief! thief!. This drew the attention of almost everyone present and passing cars.

She vigorously climbed onto the bus and pointed at a man whom she claimed had snatched her purse at a bus station at NIC. The man denied it, as every thief would usually do. A woman seated close to the man confirmed he truly joined the bus from NIC.

To cut matters short, the woman was asked to call out her phone number and an angry looking man called the phone. There and then, the phone started ringing right from the direction of the man. They traced the ringtone and realized that he had dropped the purse in his pants.

From nowhere a great slap landed on his cheek. The angry looking woman, who was the victim, gave him some wild slaps on his face.

As if that was not enough, a group of men dragged him away from the bus and started beating him mercilessly.

What marveled me was when a private car driving past, with a lady at the front seat screamed - "beat him"! A woman with no feelings. It was quiet interesting though. The thief, tired of being beaten, intentionally passed out, lying still, but this rather earned him a much louder slap, which woke him up immediately.

That was a funny scene and I couldn't help but laugh, even though I was against their action. Then the thief's savior came at last. An elderly woman, with tears in her eyes pleaded that the suspect should be taken to the police station because the crowd should not repeat what happened to Major Mahama. They beat him a little more and dragged his sorry self to the police station.

My curiosity made me approach the taxi driver who helped the woman to get her purse back and asked him a few questions. He told me how he saw her wailing and he offered immediate help. He was glad because his help paid off.

After the whole incident about Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, there have been other cases concerning lynching by mob attackers. Ghanaians are unbelievable, but like my favorite cliché goes, with time and much effort, we will get there.

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