The Ghana Immigration Service says it would shortly offer a compensation package to the family of Michael Otto, a 24-year-old officer who was assassinated by unknown attackers while on duty in Kokoligu, a community between Nandom and Hamile in the Upper West Region, in March 2022.
According to the Service, it already has packages in place for families in situations like these, and it will rely on current mechanisms to provide what is owed to the family.
Superintendent Michael Amoako-Atta, the Head of Public Affairs of the Ghana Immigration Service, told Citi News on the sidelines of the officer’s final funeral rites over the weekend that the development has triggered operational changes within the Ghana Immigration Service, and that officers on operational duties are now fully protected to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
“Now, each officer on the ground is completely outfitted from head to toe. In circumstances like these, there are norms and regulations that govern us, and whatever is owed to the murdered officer’s family will be compensated,” he added.
He went on to say that a combined investigating team made up of police, immigration, and defense intelligence would present its findings on the circumstances surrounding the officer’s death shortly.
The family of the dead officer has already demanded that the case be investigated quickly and that the perpetrators be apprehended.
“The officer was part of operation conquering fist,” Superintendent Michael Amoako-Atta said, “who were there to guard the borders from terrorist infiltration and other cross border crime to ensure that we stay secure.”
“While on patrol, he encountered several miscreants who rushed on him and shot him,” he said. The murder scene was examined by a high-powered investigation team from Accra. The Comptroller-General has yet to receive their final report. To guarantee that this regrettable situation does not happen again, several operating procedures have been modified.”