Mfantseman MP's murder: 'MPs need personal bodyguards' – Ras Mubarak

Kumbungu MP Ras Mubarak has said he has had a change of mind regarding his earlier opposition to suggestions that the 275 lawmakers of Ghana’s parliament, be given personal bodyguards by the state following the Friday dawn murder of Mfantseman MP Ekow Kwansah Hayford by armed robbers.

Speaking to Class News, Mr Mubarak expressed his sympathies to the family of the murdered lawmaker but said it was testament to the poor security situation in the country.

“My heartfelt condolences go to his family, the NPP family, his constituents; it’s a black Friday for the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, it’s a Black Friday for all of us”, Mr Mubarak said, adding: “but it is an indictment on us as a country, the lapses in our security”.

According to him, “if a Member of Parliament could be killed in this manner, you would expect that more bad people or hoodlums or assassins or robbers would want to exploit the weaknesses to cause more harm”, adding: “this brings to sharp focus the debate about whether or not to give MPs personal bodyguards”.

“In my past comments on this particular subject, I have been vehemently opposed to it but I have had a change of mind because of this very tragic circumstance because I would imagine that the circumstances would have been different if there were probably an armed police officer in the vehicle and the need to give MPs enhanced security cannot be overemphasised”, he noted.

The opposition MP said “I was very shocked” about the murder incident.

“I thought it was one of those fake news items, so, I had to call a colleague of mine from the other side who confirmed what I was hearing.

“And I’m so saddened that a colleague and a friend would lose his life under these very tragic circumstances”.

He said the late MP was a peaceful and likeable person.

“Ekow was one of those guys who would not even hurt an ant if he can help it; very quiet, very decent, that was his level of decency; he always had a nice word for everyone, very humble gentleman”.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh, is offering to pay GHS20,000 to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the murderers of the MP.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ghana Police Service and signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Superintendent Shiella Kessie Abayie-Buckman.

The Ghana Police Service indicated that the IGP “has dispatched specialised investigators from the Homicide and Anti-Armed robbery units of the CID Headquarters, to support the Central Region’s Crime Scene Team to solve the alleged robbery incident and murder” of the MP.

The statement further stated that “the IGP is offering a reward of twenty thousand Ghana Cedis (20,000.00) to any person who gives credible information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.”

The police administration also extended its condolences to the family of the murdered MP and his constituents.

It further urged the general public “to remain calm and support police in the investigation of this case.”

The MP was shot dead by armed robbers on the Abeadze Dominase-Abeadze Duadzi-Mankessim road as he was returning from a campaign trip at Dominase to his residence at Mankessim.