Victims of Ayawaso West Wougon Partial Election Violence State Ignored – Sam George

Tuesday February 2, 2021 Policy

Source: FM class

02/02/2020

Eight victims of Ayawaso West Wougon’s partial election violence who were to be compensated by the state, as recommended by the president’s commission of inquiry into the matter, were ignored by the state, Member of Parliament of Ningo-Prampram said Sam George.

According to the lawmaker who was himself a victim of violence, a group of wives whose spouses were victims of violence during the by-elections petitioned the government through the Ministry of Gender to act. on their compensation “but there was absolutely no response. “

Speaking to Parliament on the second anniversary of the violence that marred the by-elections in that constituency in 2019, Mr. George said: “Mr. The President, accompanied by more than eighty MPs and my lawyers, I personally submitted a petition to the then Inspector General of Police, Mr. David Asante-Apeatu and to the then Deputy Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department, ACP Mr. George Tweneboah and identified some of my attackers. It has been almost two years and the police have not responded to my request as my attacker walks freely. It is this inertia in the administration of justice that leads many to question whether justice would actually be served in this unfortunate case.

He called on the President to use his office to order all relevant public institutions responsible for paying compensation to affected citizens to act quickly to resolve the issue.

Context

In 2019, during Ayawaso West Wougon’s by-election following the disappearance of sitting deputy Emmanuel Kwabena Kyeremateng Agyarko, masked national security agents stormed the private residence of the leading candidate of the opposition to the Democratic National Congress behind the La Bawaleshie Presbyterian Basic 1 School. which served as a voting center and opened fire.

Some voters were shot and wounded in melee guns.

The incident, which happened about two hours after the vote, also sparked a chaotic scene at the polling center and prompted the NDC to withdraw from the by-election for the safety of party agents.

Below is Mr George’s full statement read to Parliament:

DECLARATION BY THE HON. SAMUEL NARTEY GEORGE (MP) ON THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE BY-ELECTION OF WEST AYAWASO WUOGON AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EMILE COURT COMMISSION.

Right Honorable President,

This Sunday, January 31, 2021 marked the second anniversary of the by-elections held in the constituency of Ayawaso West Wuogon. The incidents of the day are common knowledge and have left an indelible scar on our nation’s 4th Republican Democracy. A number of atrocious incidents that sought to taint democracy in Ghana and call into question our faith in our security services have taken place under the spotlight of the media.

Public outcry and international condemnation led to the establishment of a commission of inquiry by His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo in accordance with article 278 of the Constitution to investigate the unfortunate events that undermined the electoral process on that fateful day.

Mr. President, the Commission chaired by Judge Emile F. Bourt on March 14, 2019 submitted its report to the Presidency and made recommendations for additional investigations, compensation, structural changes in the country’s security architecture, between other recommendations. The government, in its white paper, shockingly disagreed with much of the Commission’s recommendations and even asked whether prominent judge Emile Short (former CHRAJ chief), Professor Henrietta Mensa Bonsu (now judge Supreme Court and Criminal Law Leader) and Mr. Patrick Acheampong (former Inspector General of Police) understand the mandate and scope of their work. The government, however, agreed to pay compensation to certain identified individuals who had suffered brutality from state agents.

It is heartbreaking, Mr. President, that I rise to speak in the Senate two years later and report that none of these people have received any compensation or support from the state. I am heartbroken because I myself have been the victim of the recklessness that characterized the actions of state agents that day. I saw with my own eyes the brutality inflicted on some of these innocent citizens of our Republic. Eighteen of them lodged a complaint with the police following the violence. The heartbreaking situation of Mr. Ishawu Yaro, a promising footballer who was the breadwinner of his family, who was repeatedly hit in the leg and was paralyzed even after three surgeries should not be our record as that nation. Despite the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the compensation of eight of sixteen and the acceptance of it in the white paper, these eight innocent citizens have been ignored by the state.

A group of wives whose spouses were abused in the by-elections petitioned the government through the Gender Ministry to take action to obtain compensation. There was absolutely no response. Mr. Speaker, accompanied by more than eighty MPs and my lawyers, I personally submitted a petition to the then Inspector General of Police, Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, and to the Deputy Director General of the ‘time of criminal investigations, ACP Mr. George Tweneboah and identified some of my attackers. It has been almost two years and the police have not responded to my request as my attacker walks freely. It is this inertia in the administration of justice that leads many to question whether justice would actually be served in this unfortunate case.

Rt. Honorable Speaker, our constituents deserve better. The citizens of the Republic demand action. We owe it to ourselves, as representatives of the people and a true bastion of democracy, to hold state security agents accountable for their breaches of the law. We cannot fail. We must demand that justice be done to the eight citizens that the government has committed to compensate. The principles of democracy must be protected. The rule of law, accountability and the protection of the human rights of citizens are essential in this democratic regime and nothing and no one should be allowed to undermine it.

These citizens are Mr. Theophilus Sedofu, Mr. Seidu Zaneh, Mr. James Moore, Mr. Mohammed Alhassan, Mr. Ishawu Yaro, the owner of the vehicle with registration number GE 3844-17, owner of Kia Picanto with number of registration GW 1045-17 and Mrs. Justine She, owner of a beauty salon. We are the last ray of hope for those citizens who elected us here. Please use your good offices to ask all relevant state institutions responsible for paying compensation to affected citizens to act swiftly to resolve this matter.

Right Honorable President, thank you for giving me the opportunity to make this statement in order to draw national attention to the plight of our constituents.

SAMUEL NARTEY GEORGE, MP

Ningo-pram