Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Youth Authority, Akosua Manu, has appealed to the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, to ensure that women are not subjected to unlawful treatment by security agencies.
In a statement, Akosua Manu said she was initially pleased to see a woman appointed to lead one of Ghana’s key security institutions. She said many women saw COP Donkor’s rise as a source of pride and an example of women breaking barriers.
However, she said recent reports involving the treatment of women during security operations had raised concerns.
Akosua Manu referred to reports of women being taken into custody under circumstances she said raised questions about due process, as well as difficulties faced by families trying to establish the whereabouts of detained relatives.
She particularly cited the reported midnight detention of Salomey Awity Baffoe, a 40-year-old mother of three from Hansua in the Bono East Region.
Reports said she was taken from her home on September 13 by persons who identified themselves as National Security operatives, while her family later struggled to establish where she had been taken.
Akosua Manu said such reports should concern the country and called for greater respect for the rights of women during security operations.
She also urged COP Donkor to resist any instruction that may conflict with the law, arguing that public officials have a responsibility to uphold due process.
“Leadership comes with responsibility,” she said, adding that an unlawful instruction should not be followed simply because it comes from a superior authority.
Ms Manu further warned that heavy-handed actions could increase public anger rather than stop criticism of government.
She called on the CID boss to draw a clear line between lawful security operations and actions that could undermine public confidence.
Akosua Manu urged COP Donkor to use her position to promote what she described as sanity and humanity in the treatment of women.
