Sack military involved in Ejura shooting – Catholic Bishops
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has asked authorities to dismiss military officers who shot at protesting youth in Ejura, leading to two deaths.
In addition, they have called for the institutionalisation of punitive measures to deter soldiers and other security officers from using firearms in crowd control and other public gatherings.
According to Most Reverend Philip Naameh, the president of GCBC, the use of firearms by the security during demonstrations was “unprofessional.”
He lamented that such acts are becoming rampant.
Such a situation, he said, does not auger well for the country, as it makes the citizenry lose trust in the ability of “our own security to protect us, and that is very worrying for all of us”.
Accordingly, he asked the relevant authorities to expedite investigations into unravelling those who carried out the action.
“We expect that soldiers who so behave be brought to book, and we do not expect anything less than dismissing such soldiers from the security forces because that is not what they were trained to do,” he said.
He also stated that the directive from the president for an inquiry into the behaviour of the security forces “is not the way to go because we are used to such kind of directives, which do not yield anything.”
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale added that “we need the kind of punishment which will intimidate and be a lesson to all others but to make such a loose directive is not enough.”
The Most Rev Naameh said this in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Wednesday evening on Joy FM.
He further stated that the silence of the National Security Minister on the killing of Murtala Mohammed and Abdul Yusif, both 25 years old, during the protest on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, was deafening.
The two were part of an irate youth who were protesting to demand justice for the murder of Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Kaaka, a social media activist, by a mob.
Most Reverend Naameh appealed to all agitated youth across the country, particularly those of Ejura, to restrain themselves from engaging in acts that could lead to any social unrest.
READ ALSO: Probe Ejura Shooting And Submit Report In 10 Days – Akufo-Addo To Interior Minister
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, to scrutinise factors that led to the death of social activist Ibrahim Mohammed and two others in Ejura.
In a statement, the president gave the interior minister 10 days to report findings into the shooting.
The president said he was “Deeply saddened by the deaths of Ibrahim Mohammed, alias ‘Kaaka,’ Abdul Nassir Yussif and Murtala Mohammed,” the statement indicated.
The president also sympathized with the families of the deceased persons by extending his “Sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.”
Adding to this, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said, “our security agencies should be quick and clinical in getting to the bottom of this and other unresolved crimes.”
Addressing journalists in Accra on Wednesday, June 30, he condemned the acts of violence in Ejura.
He underscored that while police investigations into such incidence took some time, “It does not instil confidence in the population if such acts go unresolved and unpunished.”
“So the police need to get to the bottom of this, and justice must be done. A credible investigation also needs to be conducted into the crowd rioting and crowd control incidents of 29 June,” he said.
The minister opined that doing so would bring clarity to the sequence of events and ensure that if any persons acted inappropriately, those persons are punished.
Background
Ibrahim Muhammed, aka Kaaka, was attacked by a mob, and he later died due to injuries.
Witness accounts showed that the deceased was ambushed in front of his house when he was returning home on his motorbike at about 1:30 am on Sunday, June 27, 2021.
Ibrahim Muhammed was rushed to the Ejura Government Hospital to receive medical treatment after the attack.
He was later transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where he died at midday on Monday, June 28, 2021, the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Godwin Ahianyo, told the media at a press briefing.
Providing an account of the incident, the widow of the deceased, Sahada Hudu, said she found him in a pool of blood after the attack.
“I thought my husband was driving away goats from the house at the time. Little did I know that he was being attacked. We saw him in a pool of blood. The people bolted as soon as we opened the door to check what was happening,” she recounted.
Before his death, Ibrahim Muhammed, aged 45, took to social media, where he posts critiques in the Ejura Municipality and other issues of national importance.
His last activity on Facebook was to share a post criticizing the arrest of 15 members of the #TheFixCountry at the High Court Complex on June 25.
Meanwhile, police have arrested two persons in connection with the murder.
The suspects have been identified as Ibrahim Isaka and Fuseini Alhassan.
Both suspects were arrested at about 10:45 pm on Monday, June 28, 2021, following police intelligence.
Two shot dead, four hospitalised
Scores of angry youth stormed the streets in Ejura to demand justice over the murder of Ibrahim Muhammed, aka Kaaka, a social activist.
However, the situation got out of hand at a police station, prompting military reinforcements.
In the ensuing misunderstandings, at least six demonstrators were shot, and two died.
The other injured persons have been treated and discharged, but one person is still on admission at the Ejura Government Hospital.
“Where the bullet hit, there was no way he could have survived because it hit the chest directly,” Medical Superintendent of the Ejura Government Hospital, Dr Mensah Menya, confirmed.
Two suspects arrested
Ibrahim Issaka, alias Anyaas, and Fuseini Alhassan have been arrested for the alleged murder.
Both suspects were arrested at about 10:45 pm on Monday, June 28, 2021, following police intelligence.