The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has called on the leadership of the Ghana Police Service to explain to Ghanaians why the service personnel was directed not to provide security for today’s (Friday) durbar in commemoration of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.
Mr. Pratt in addressing the gathering at the commemoration at the La Bawaleshie Presby School has questioned the action of the Police Service.
“Yesterday, I saw a post on WhatsApp which was a directive from the hierarchy of the Ghana Police Service instructing all police personnel not to provide security for this event.
This is the first time in my life and perhaps the first time in record history that a police institution is calling on policemen not to provide security. And if the police are not providing security, then what are the police there for?”
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He further asked the Police service to provide the same security that is provided to both former presidents, Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kuffour to former president John Dramani Mahama.
“In any case, whether we like it or not, President John Dramani Mahama is a former president of this country and has been a president of this country before.
He is entitled to the same security which is offered to former president John Agyekum Kuffour and former president Jerry John Rawlings and the security offered to all former presidents”.
Background
It is recalled that there was a considerable level of violence at the Bawaleshie Polling station during the Ayawaso by-election a year ago after the death of the then, sitting Member of Parliament, the late Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.
The incident led to several injuries as operatives of national security assaulted some voters.
The government then set the Emile Short Commission of Enquiry to look into the said incidence and make recommendations.
After the commission submitted its recommendations, the government rejected over fifty percent of the recommendations.