[ 2016-11-22 ]

NPP petitions IGP against attacks on members
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has officially
petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP)
over unprovoked attacks against its members.

A copy of the letter, copied to ClassFMonline.com,
bearing the signature of the acting National
Chairman, Mr Freddie Blay, stated that there had
been several “incidents of violence and
intimidation unlawfully perpetuated against
officials and members of the NPP all over the
country by National Democratic Congress (NDC)
activists”.

Among other things, the NPP stated that “on
Sunday, the 13th of November, 2016, NDC activists
numbering over 3,000 who claimed they were going
on a health walk at the Nima Police Station
junction attempted, without any provocation, to
force their way into the residence of the NPP’s
flag bearer. We have reliably gathered that a
number of them threw stones, bottles, and other
forms of missiles into the house, across the wall.
Paintings, pictures, banners, etc. on the wall
were vandalised and in some cases removed by these
marauding activists”.

They are, therefore, calling on the police to
investigate and prosecute the perpetrators and
prevent further violent attacks.

Below is the full petition:


THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
GHANA POLICE SERVICE
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
ACCRA, GHANA

Dear Sir,
IN THE MATTER OF PEACEFUL ELECTION ACTIVITIES
BEFORE DURING AND AFTER THE ELECTION AND IN THE
MATTER OF PROMPT AND OBJECTIVE ENFORCEMENT OF
PEACE AND SECURITY BY THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE

We write this formal letter as a follow up of the
NPP delegation’s meeting with your good self as
the IGP in the company of Senior Officers on
Tuesday October 18, 2016 on the above subject
matter.

Sir, you would recall that we referred to and
emphasized several complaints of incidents of
violence and intimidation unlawfully perpetuated
against officials and members of the New Patriotic
Party all over the country by NDC activists.
As we discussed at length and in details with your
good self, the party officers and our members in
the various regions have made several complaints
and appeals over the intimidation and the violence
but regrettably we are yet to see concrete
measures put in place to deal with, address or
forestall further occurrences of such incidents of
intimidation or violence. We are therefore
formally appealing to you and your good office,
once more, to renew your efforts to enforce the
peace, to ensure that all Ghanaians feel free of
harassment and intimidation in these final weeks
before Election Day on December 7, 2016.

All Ghanaians must feel assured of the protection
of the Police as they go about their peaceful
election activities, whether it is registration to
vote, advocating for their candidate on a
house-to-house campaign, or going to the polls on
December 7th. Acts of violence or intimidation are
a threat to the credibility of the Electoral
process.
Listed below in no particular order is evidential
antecedence of the aforementioned complaints:

1. On July 6, 2015, during the Talensi
by-election, thugs in the employ of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC), known as the Azorka
Boys, attacked then- National Vice Chairman of the
NPP, Freddie Blay, National Treasurer, Kwabena
Abankwa-Yeboah, former Deputy Minister for Youth
and Sports, Rashid Bawa and other NPP officials
without provocation. A complaint was lodged at the
time at the Bolgatanga Police Station, but there
has still not been any response from the Ghana
Police Service except that the Upper East Police
Command accused the NPP leadership of exaggerating
these attacks. All the affected NPP officials
received medical treatment for their injuries. Mr
Abankwa-Yeboah and Mr. Bawa were the biggest
casualties of the NDC attacks. Incidents such as
this one erode the party’s confidence in the
ability and will of the Ghana Police Service to
provide us with EQUAL PROTECTION from intimidation
and violence.

2. On May 8th, 2016 during the limited
registration exercise in the Volta Region, the NPP
Regional Chairman, John Peter Amewu was assaulted
by men in Police uniform at Metsrikasa. The men in
uniform were preparing to carry registration
equipment on a vehicle toward a town on the Togo
boarder which had not been designated in the
original registration movement plan. Mr. Amewu was
assaulted for using his android phone to capture
pictorial evidence of the scenario. We lodged a
complaint at the Regional Police Headquarters in
Ho but up till now, the Regional Police Command
has not informed us of any results of their
investigations.

3. On October 11, 2016, 35 NPP women supporters,
known as Loyal Ladies, were brutally assaulted by
identified NDC thugs while conducting a
house-to-house campaign in Suhum, Eastern Region.
The women sought refuge at the Suhum chief’s
palace but the thugs chased them there and
attacked them along with some chiefs involved in
preparations for the town’s Odwira Festival.
Although the women reported the incident to local
police, no arrests were made.

4. On October 12, 2016, two Deputy NPP National
Youth Organizers, Salam Mustapha and Dominic
Eduah, were this time assaulted by uniformed
police personnel at the CID Headquarters while the
NPP Officers had tried to secure bail for the
president-elect of the National Union of Ghana
Students (NUGS), Luqman Abubakar, who himself had
sustained beatings by NDC youth supporters prior
to his arrest and detention the previous day.


5. Driver of Dr Hannah Bissiw, a Deputy Minister,
allegedly caused the abduction of a team of NPP
medical personnel in the Brong Ahafo Region who
were on a medical outreach programme and took them
to Dr Bissiw’s house where they were manhandled
before been released. A complaint was launched and
so far there has been no action taken against the
people involved in the abduction.
6. In the Asunafo North and South constituencies
of the Brong Ahafo Region, Abduallai Mohammed,
popularly known as Naabu, a brother of the Local
Government Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda, led
‘macho men’ to beat up NPP agents who were
protesting the registration of minors and
foreigners, in the full glare of the police,
however, no police action has been taken.

7. According to eye witness reports in Banda,
during the limited registration period, a car full
of NDC activists and their hired ‘macho men’
went from one registration centre to another
visiting mayhem on NPP agents and at times
disrupting the registration process. No police
action was taken.

8. On the 19th of September 2016, an NPP activist
had his finger chopped off in Asunafo South by NDC
thugs on the rampage; Police Personnel fled from
the scene and have not conducted any police
investigations over the matter since.

9. On the 2nd of October 2016, NDC ‘macho men’
attacked NPP supporters who were campaigning
peacefully in Enyan Main in the Ajumako Enyan
Essiam Constituency of the Central Region. Three
people received severe knife wounds. The matter
has not been investigated.

10. On 16th September, 2016, machete wielding NDC
members inflicted wounds on an NPP activist in
Kukuom in the Asunafo South District of the Brong
Ahafo Region and nothing has been done about it
although a complaint was lodged with the Police.

11. Sir, On Sunday, the 13th of November 2016, NDC
activists numbering over 3,000 who claimed they
were going on a health walk at the Nima Police
Station junction attempted, without any
provocation, to force their way into the residence
of the NPP’s Flag bearer. We have reliably
gathered that a number of them threw stones,
bottles, and other forms of missiles into the
house, across the wall. Paintings, pictures,
banners, etc on the wall were vandalized and in
some cases removed by these marauding activists.

Although the few personal security personnel at
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s gate resisted
their attempt to enter into the premises of our
Presidential Candidate, this development is
alarming and a great cause for concern to us in
the NPP. We have reasons to believe that this is
not an isolated incident. We believe it is an
orchestrated and carefully planned attack either
to harm, intimidate or provoke unnecessary tension
in the country going into the December elections.
The implication of this development is most
alarming. The Police, we are informed, took over
one hour or two, to even make a belated presence
although the Nima Police Station is a two-minute
walk from our Flag bearer’s residence.

In the above cited instances, we are asking for
your investigations and the necessary and prompt
actions taken, according to the law.

In addition to the above-mentioned incidents of
violence, we would like to express concern about
the Ghana Police Service’s announcement of plans
to use new police recruits, who are not yet fully
qualified, to monitor polling stations and
otherwise maintain law and order during the
December 7 elections. The use of unqualified
recruits , and the rapid scaling up of the
recruitment process, raises concerns for us about
transparency in how these individuals were
recruited, and their capacity to provide full and
equal protection to all Ghanaians on Election
Day.

Finally, we remain concerned about the threats
made by your office to restrict the use of SOCIAL
MEDIA and SMS communications on Election Day.
Along with other stakeholders, the NPP believes
that the free use of SOCIAL MEDIA and other forms
of communication are critical to providing
transparency and credibility to the election
process, by allowing for independent reporting of
incidents of violence and intimidation, as well as
independent verification of results as tabulated
and certified at individual polling stations.

We call on you to demonstrate that you and your
men can protect, even handedly, all Ghanaians
without prejudice or favouritism. We are convinced
the police have a critical role to play in
ensuring that intimidation and threats of violence
will not mar public confidence in the electoral
process. In this critical period, with less than
22 days left until Election Day, the impartial and
untainted professionalism of the Ghana Police
Service is needed and is more important than
ever.

We wish to assure you that, as a party, we want
and would like to continue to restrain our people
and encourage them to resort to the proper
channels in seeking protection but this must be
met with the appropriate responses from the Ghana
Police Service and such responses must be in good
time to avert any overspill of emotions. We
believe that justice, is a necessary precursor to
peace and that in the interest of peace, the Ghana
Police Service must pursue all the reported cases
with the aim of bringing justice to our numerous
party members who have been brutalized, assaulted
and intimidated.

We need not to over emphasize that it is your DUTY
to the country to ensure that all the perpetrators
are brought to book. We consider it, our
responsibility, to put it on record that we have,
once more, drawn your attention to the content of
this document.

We are, by copies of this document, drawing the
attention of the relevant international
organizations as well as our development partners
to the issues raised.
Thank you.

Best regards,


FREDDIE BLAY
NATIONAL CHAIRMAN (AG.)

Cc:
1. The Minister of the Interior, Republic of
Ghana
2. The National Peace Council, Republic of Ghana
3. The Electoral Commission, Republic of Ghana
4. Dr Ibn Chambas, Special Envoy of the UN
Secretary General
5. The Ambassador, Embassy of the United States of
America, Ghana
6. The High Commissioner, British High Commission,
Ghana
7. The High Commissioner, South African High
Commission, Ghana
8. The High Commissioner, Nigerian High
Commission, Ghana
9. The Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of
Morocco, Ghana
10. The Chairperson, ECOWAS, Ghana
11. The Chairperson, African Union Commission,
Ghana
12. The Head of Mission, United Nations Mission,
Ghana
13. The Head of Mission, European Union Mission,
Ghana

Source - NPP

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