Small Arms Commission condemns Alabar shooting

The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons has condemned in no uncertain terms the shooting that occurred last Friday at Alabar, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, leading to the arrest of three suspects.

Scores of traders were caught up in the crossfire and several people sustained gunshot wounds.

The Commission says the availability of arms in the hands of criminals makes it more dangerous for society.

According to the Commission, illicit arms in the hands of criminals embolden them to want to engage in broad daylight robbery.

“Why will young men embark on a daylight robbery? Ask yourself if they didn’t have gun will they venture into that? Because of the gun factor, they had the audacity to engage in broad daylight robbery,” Senior Programmes Officer of the Commission Leonard Tettey noted on Sunday on 3FM’s ‘Decision 2020’ hosted by Stephen Anti.

The Commission has subsequently selected 10 flashpoints across the country under the ‘Ballot without Bullet’ Project to start an engagement with the parliamentary candidates in these constituencies.

On Sunday, October 25, violent clashes that erupted in Odododiodoo in the Greater Accra Region resulted in many injuries and destruction of property including the constituency offices of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to the Commission, the 10 selected areas is in line with what the police have released, of over 4,000.

“We are starting with Odododiodio on Tuesday and it will be an engagement with the youth groups and executives and after that, we do a press conference where the candidates will speak to the whole world. We are doing Awutu Senya East, Gomoa West, Chiana-Paga, Ofinso North, Banda, Chereponi, Ho Central, Asawase, Ketu South and Odododiodio.”

Mr Tettey added: “When we raise the issue of flashpoints, it is not to give any political party any credence or to discredit any political party. They were based on evidence that the police came out as flashpoints. Even with the flashpoints, that we gave out was, as at August, but as at November, we know that these numbers had gone up. The approach is that we want to use the 10 to affect the rest of the country.”

The Commission said the candidates in the selected constituencies would be given a plaque where they would be held accountable should violence erupt in these areas.