LANCE CPL DARBAH LAID TO REST ... (Page 20)

Story: Samuel Duodu, Sunyani

THE mortal remains of the late Police General Lance Corporal Moses Kofi Darbah were laid to rest at the Presbyterian Church Cemetery at Bakoniaba, a suburb of Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, at the weekend.
The late Lance Cpl Darbah, 26, of the Volta Regional Police Task Force at Ho lost his life while on official duty during the Anloga chieftaincy dispute in the Volta Region last year.
He was among 150 policemen deplored in Anlo to maintain law and order.
Among the dignitaries who attended the burial and funeral service for the late Cpl Darbah, held at the Ghana@50 Jubilee Park in Sunyani, were the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, the Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) James Oppong-Boanuh and his Volta Regional counterpart, DCOP B.G. Dery.
Also present were representatives from the military, and Prisons and Fire services, as well as a cross-section of the public, who could not withhold their tears.
The IGP, who was also the chief mourner, and DCOP Oppong-Boanuh read the first and second Bible readings respectively.
In a sermon the Rev S.K. Abayie, the Brong Ahafo Regional Police Chaplain and the officiating minister, consoled the bereaved family and paid glowing tribute to the late Lance Cpl Darbah for his exceptional qualities as a policeman.
He stated that the work of the police officer was a call to national duty and a sacrificial one.
Rev Abayie, therefore, urged all personnel of the service not to be deterred by what happened to their late colleague but must resolve to maintain law and order, more especially before, during and after this year’s general election.
Rev Abayie said the death of Lance Cpl Darbah must also strengthen the Police Service to continue to discharge their duties without fear or favour as specified in the nation’s Constitution.
He urged Ghanaians not to take the laws of the country into their own hands, especially in chieftaincy and land matters, which have been rampant in recent times, to unleash violence and mayhem on others, but to resort to dialogue to resolve the disputes.
The Police Regional Chaplain noted that it was because of the greed and litigation of others that the late Darbah lost his life.
He, therefore, called on people involved in chieftaincy and land disputes across the country to follow the due process instead of resorting to violence that resulted in the loss of lives and property and also stalled development.
A citation read in honour of the late Lance Cpl Darbah by Superintendent Charles Botwe, the Sunyani Municipal Police Commander, described him as a brave, hard-working and respectful police officer.
It said it was in recognition of his exceptional qualities that the Police Administration promoted him posthumously on November 1, last year, to the rank of lance corporal.
“By his death, the service has lost a gallant officer. His death is a big blow to the entire police service,” the citation stated.
The late Lance Cpl Darbah was born in Sunyani, the capital of the Brong Ahafo Region, on July 24, 1981 to Mr Victor Kwasi Darbah and Madam Nina Asamoah.
He had both his basic and secondary education in Sunyani and joined the police service in February 15, 2005.