A video of the encounter has warmed the hearts of many people on social media, with some of them lauding the uniformed officer for putting a smile on the face of the elderly man.
Ghanagospelsongs, an Instagram page which shared the awe-inspiring footage captioned it: “All he needs now are prayers and medical care and he'll be perfect. Officer Nyame Nhyira, you have done well.”
The officer is seen in the video gifting packaged food, drinks, a loaf of bread and a pair of footwear to the mentally ill man to replace the worn-out ones he had been wearing.
The recipient is heard receiving the items gleefully while showering gratitude on the police officer, saying that he would have loved it if he had come with the food earlier because he had just finished eating pepper.
Speaking in local dialect, Twi, the overjoyed elderly man sought God’s blessing for the police officer as part of his appreciation for the kind gesture exhibited towards him.
It is unclear which part of the country the video was filmed. It has since got many people reacting and applauding the police officer for his benevolence.
There are many mentally ill persons all over the streets of Ghana, and it does not appear that successive governments have done enough to get them off the streets and care for them. Most of the time, it is only kind-hearted individuals and non-governmental organisations that are seen extending a hand of help to such people.