A member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications team, Solomon Owusu says the State must not look on for angry youth of Ejura in the Ashanti Region to take the law into their own hands over the murder of a social activist in the area.
Two people on Tuesday were shot dead while four others sustained various degrees of injuries at Ejura after the military opened fire on angry youth protesting the killing of Muhammed Ibrahim popularly known as Kaaka.
He was murdered by unknown assailants who reportedly hit him several times with clubs in his home on Saturday dawn.
The police called for reinforcement from the military after efforts to quell the riots by the furious youth were proving difficult.
Some have described the action of the military against the protesting youth a disproportionate.
But commenting on the issue on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV Wednesday, Solomon Owusu stated that State must crack the whip where necessary to ensure law and order.
“We must not countenance lawlessness, the youth of today put the law into their own hands at the least opportunity they get. It is definitely not good that two people have been killed during the protest but if they’d stayed in their houses and mourned the death of Kaaka and allowed the police to do investigations who would have been killed? We should let our youth understand that we are operating within a constitutional regime, we work with laws. We saw some of the rioting youth with machetes and cudgels, if the police had not gone there to restore law and order it is these same members of the public who would have criticized the police for not doing their work.
“If we allow the youth to take the law into their hands in the name of human rights we’ll regret it one day. We have seen videos in which some of the rioting youth were pelting police vehicles with stones and after that, we’ll spend the State’s money to repair them. Do these youth know how peeved other persons are? if everyone is to hit the street and destroying things will this country be governable. The youth must not be entertained, they should rather channel their energies to wage a war against poverty by working, their efforts must be directed at making sure Ejura develops,” Solomon Owusu added.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has instructed the Minister for the Interior Ambrose Dery to conduct a Public Inquiry into the circumstances that led to the Ejura killings.
“The Interior Minister is to provide a detailed report from the Inquiry, with recommendations for appropriate action, within ten days, i.e., by 9th July 2021, to President Akufo-Addo,” a statement issued by the Director of Communications, Eugene Arhin said on Wednesday.
The President, however, condemned the incidents of violence that claimed the lives of 3 persons and led to 4 persons sustaining various degrees of injury after a youth protest in Ejura in the Ashanti Region of Ghana Tuesday.
“The President is deeply saddened by the deaths of Ibrahim Mohammed, alias ‘Kaaka’, Abdul Nasir Yussif and Murtala Mohammed. He extends sincere condolences to the families of the deceased, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery,” said the statement.
Source: Kasaafmonline.com/102.5
