A Tamale based Human Rights Lawyer, Issah Mahamodu has urged security forces not to hesitate in shooting the legs of persons who will try to steal ballot boxes during the upcoming crucial 2016 elections.
According to him, the security forces must deal mercilessly with such persons to serve as a deterrent to others who habour negative intentions.
Lawyer Issah who’s also the solicitor for the Andani Royal Family in Dagbon while addressing a Peace Stakeholder Dialogue held in Tamale, Northern Regional capital, over the weekend said if shooting a ballot box snatcher is the only way to protect the sanctity of the polls, the security forces should do so.
” We will insist that the security forces should be firm, if you snatch a ballot box and you are running away and it means shooting your legs, they should fire you so that, that ballot box would be protected ”
“Ghana throughout our election processes have had independent volunteers and we have had party agents, so you, who is not a party agent and you are not part of the independent observers, what are you doing there? Are you going to snatch a ballot box and ran away?”
“As you sit here what have you done that you think anybody coming to harm you that you need AK47 to harm protect yourself?..Our people say if you are in the market and they say catch him…catch him and you have done anything, would you ran? It is those who have done something who will run when there is a shout catch him…catch him. So please, no arms, no guns, no violence, no war; we are all one people.”
Lawyer Issah cautioned the youth against being guards at the polling station after they cast their ballot saying “the NPP and NDC are saying be vigilant but that is not your duty.”
