NYA condemns unjust treatment of lawful protestors by the Police Service
The National Youth Authority (NYA) has condemned treatment meted out to protesting law students by officers of the Ghana Police Service on Monday.
In a press statement, NYA described the conduct of the police towards the protesting students, who were only engaged in a democratic exercise in pursuit of their educational right, as most unfortunate.
“As the statutory body charged with the mandate of championing the welfare of the youth of the country, the NYA finds the conduct of the police to these innocent young people who were only engaged in a democratic exercise in pursuit of their educational right, as most unfortunate. Democratic policing demands that even if the students had defied the rules of engagement, the police ought to act professionally to bringing them to order rather than resorting to brutal force on unarmed and non-violent protesters.”
“The Authority is hereby imploring our able-bodied security officials to exercise restraint, decorum and abide by the professional code of conduct governing the police service,” the statement said.
READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW
NYA CONDEMNS UNJUST TREATMENT OF LAWFUL PROTESTERS BY GHANA POLICE
The National Youth Authority (NYA) condemns without reservation the brutalities meted out by the police to some law students who were embarking on a peaceful demonstration against the recent mass failure recorded in the entrance exams to the Ghana School of Law among other concerns, and demanding for immediate reforms to legal education in the country.
As the statutory body charged with the mandate of championing the welfare of the youth of the country, the NYA finds the conduct of the police to these innocent young people who were only engaged in a democratic exercise in pursuit of their educational right as most unfortunate. Democratic policing demands that even if the students had defied the rules of engagement, the police ought to act professionally to bringing them to order rather than resorting to brutal force on unarmed and non-violent protesters.
The Authority is hereby imploring our able-bodied security officials to exercise restraint, decorum and abide by the professional code of conduct governing the police service. And to the disgruntled youth, we say, the NYA shares in your concerns but pleads with you to calm down as the authorities take steps to address your legitimate concerns. It cannot be emphasized that legal education needs some drastic reforms to respond to the exigencies of time.
The NYA wishes to assure the youth of Ghana particularly the demonstrating students that it has taken significant interest in this matter, and shall soon engage all the relevant stakeholders to explore ways of finding lasting solutions to this systemic problem that continues to plaque legal education in the country.
Sylvester Tetteh
CEO, National Youth Authority