He could easily have been killed if the incident had taken place in Nigeria

An unfortunate incident that befell a fellow Ghanaian in Kumasi made my eyes well up when the news was conveyed to my attention via WhatsApp. I only became aware of it on Friday, 27 May 2022. When it actually took place, I cannot tell but certainly, it is not long ago.

His story goes to confirm how misfortune can befall you, regardless of how innocent you are and very honestly your ways are. This is what can well be described as bad luck.

Such unfortunate incidents are very often, or commonly, attributed to the works of evil persons, especially, witches and wizards within the family, according to the beliefs of many a Ghanaian. However, they are pure incidents.

This man in question was wrongly accused by a fellow female taxi passenger of stealing her mobile (cell phone) phone.

When he alighted from the taxi on reaching his destination, the woman got out, held him tightly by the collar of his shirt, and demanded he give her the mobile phone he has stolen from her back to her.

The man was shocked by the action of the woman. He had not stolen her mobile phone so her demand was shocking news to him.

The more the man declared and insisted on his innocence, the louder the woman screamed and squeezed him on the neck by the collar of his shirt.

Many people started gathering around them as they had become the cynosure of all eyes.

It only took the taxi driver who collected the woman’s phone number, dialed it and it was answered by the woman’s son/daughter at home. Her child responded saying, mum, you have left your phone at home; how could you do your shopping without the phone?

The woman who a few minutes ago had become a screaming Delilah, seeking the death of the man similarly as the biblical Delilah did to Samson, now started pleading with the man for forgiveness, saying, “I am sorry”.

She had wrongly accused an innocent soul.

Sorry, they say, do not put bread on the table.

If the unfortunate incident had taken place in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, with the woman shouting “ole” (thief) and holding the guy by the neck, those people trooping down the scene would have doused him with petrol and set him on fire. This is how serious the disgusting behavior of the woman was.

There is a lesson to learn from this episode of leveling a false accusations against somebody without having concrete proof. We should not hasten to administer instant justice against anyone accused of theft or any wrongdoing without carrying out an extensive investigation.

The way the man was humiliated, he can hardly regain his confidence and credibility back. Once your reputation is tarnished, whether correctly or wrongly, it is tarnished forever.

To conclude, I shall advise that we are slow to accuse in such situations that have the potential to cost lives, and again, we should not rush to partake in false accusations only to regret it later or find ourselves in trouble in the end.

If we were not in IGP Dr. Dampare’s era of Ghana, where you cannot commit a crime with impunity, some people would either have beaten up the innocent man or killed him all because of a woman’s false accusation against him.

I will have given him a crate of eggs to appease his soul if I could establish contact with him. His spirit may be very sorrowful and hence needs pacification.

When I put my feet in his shoes, I can really feel how bad the situation was.

Until I find him to donate a crate of eggs to him, I can only wish him “wo tiri nkwa”, to wit, good luck to him for coming out safely without being lynched.