Shootings retard progress - Rev. Asante blames military, police over Ejura unrest

Former Chairperson of the National Peace Council, Most Rev. Professor Emmanuel Asante has blamed the military and police personnel that were sent to control a rioting crowd at Ejura for the death of two protesters.

About 6 persons are receiving medical treatment in the Ejura Government Hospital after the security personnel shot indiscriminately into the civilians that were protesting the murder of a social media activist in the area.

The social activist, Ibrahim Muhammed (Kaaka) died on Monday, June 28, 2021, after he was attacked by a mob when he was returning home on his motorbike on Sunday.

He’s alleged to have been killed because of his social activism, which some felt was making the government unpopular.

Most Rev. Professor Asante who spoke to Kwame Minkah on Dwaboase on Power FM believes the security personnel did not act professionally.

“The police should have acted well,” he bemoaned the shooting incident and added, “What happened at Ejura retards the country’s progress.”

The preacher further urged the various stakeholders in the matter to let law and order prevail so that security in the area can be beefed up.

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has announced that it has launched an investigation into the matter but the military and police have come under criticism, following the death of the two protesters.

MP for Ningo Prampram, Sam George believes the men in military uniform who opened fire on the crowd are pro-NP vigilante group members who were integrated into the Ghana Armed Forces.

Speaking on the Gumbe Show on TV XYZ, the MP said with no concern for the lives of the innocent youth, the governing New Patriotic Party NPP unleashed thugs in military uniforms to shoot and kill innocent people who are seeking justice for their dead colleague who was believed to be a critique of Nana Addo led government.

“All this is happening because NPP has packed the army with useless thugs. Some of them have been arrested as armed robbers,” he fumed as he bemoaned the clash.

Warning

Meanwhile, a renowned security expert and academic, Prof. Kwesi Aning has warned recurrences of such an uprising may heighten if the government does not swiftly move to address concerns of the youth in the country.

Aning, who is also the Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, blamed the unrest in Ejura on the lack of political will to address the challenges confronting the youth.

Prof. Kwesi Aning is Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.

“Ejura is only a symbolic representation of the frustrations across this country. Quite a number of our own leaders have spoken about youth frustration, unemployment, as a toxic mix. Ejura has demonstrated that we’ve now moved from the rhetoric of seeming to be concerned,” he observed in an interview with Joy News.

He added, “When the State and its representatives over time, signal to people, that they don’t matter, it contributes to building frustrations.”

“We need to say, ‘look, how do we improve our policing so that it doesn’t tip over these aspects of people’s frustrations,” he warned.

To him, the killing in the Ashanti Regional town could have been avoided if intelligence gathering by the security agencies had been effective.