Techiman electoral violence: Court orders state to pay GH¢270k to victims

The High Court in Wenchi has ordered the state to pay GH₵45,000 each to six individuals injured during the Techiman South electoral violence in December 2020.

The shooting occurred during a disturbance at the collation centre before the declaration of Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah as the elected Member of Parliament.

Security personnel, in an attempt to control the situation, fired shots that resulted in two deaths and several injuries.

The injured individuals filed a case at the court, claiming their right to life, as guaranteed by Article 13 of the 1992 Constitution, had been violated.

While the state acknowledged that shots were fired, it argued that the officers only fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, which it claimed was attempting to disrupt the collation process and harm electoral officials.

The state also suggested that gunfire from within the crowd could have caused the injuries.

However, the court disagreed with the state’s defence, finding sufficient evidence that the security officers fired directly into the crowd, resulting in indiscriminate injuries.

The court concluded that the security’s actions were unconstitutional and infringed on the plaintiffs’ rights.

The court refused to grant the full damages of GH₵5 million for the first applicant and GH₵2 million for the other five applicants, citing insufficient evidence.

Instead, the judge awarded GH₵45,000 each to the six plaintiffs as compensation.