Police to disband vigilante groups

 
By Bernice Bessey. 
The Minister for the Interior, Prosper Douglas Bani, says the Ghana Police Service is set to arrest any individual who will hide behind political party vigilante groups to cause mayhem, before and during the December elections.

Mr. Bani said the vigilante groups, namely; Invisible Forces, Bolga Bulldogs, Azorka Boys and Kangaha Boys among others, are not recognised by law, and, as such, their existence and operations are illegal.

He sent a strong warning to the effect that individuals will be arrested based on their demerits, not who or which political party they have aligned themselves to, explaining that such persons are adults, and need to be held responsible for their actions.

“If an individual acts wrongly, we will arrest you as an individual. Because the individual we're talking about is an adult,” he warned.

According to the Minister, such groups, no matter their political affiliations, the media especially, should not give them its platform in order to legitimise their operations, saying, “We don't want to give them credence.”

The Interior Minister made the statement at the occasion of the meet-the-press series, held under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information, yesterday, in Accra.

Touching on the preparedness of the police to ensure the lives and properties are protected during the elections, he said tension and anxiety during polls are normal all over the world, and that the security agencies are ready to curtail any form of lawlessness.

He urged Ghanaians to be calm and avoid anxieties surrounding the coming elections, since the security of the nation is very firm and stable, stressing that for the past few years, the country had not experience any armed violence due to the intensive security measures already in place.

Though the Ghana Police Service has identified over 5,000 hot spots in this election period, the sector Minister advised the public to have confidence in the security institutions, in order not to take the law into their own hands.

He advised that protection of the ballot box is the responsibility of the police, not any individual or persons.

To enhance the security of the nation during the polls, the Minister said when it becomes necessary the Ministry will consider supplementing the police with the military to effect peace.

When answering the question on whether the government still has the intention to ban social media on Election Day, Mr. Bani iterated that social media would not be banned at any time, not during election period.

He also used the platform to appeal to pastors to avoid pronouncements that would inflame passions and jeopardise the peace the nation is enjoying, adding that such pronouncements are not healthy for the country's young democracy.

The Deputy Minister of the sector, James Agalga, also announced that the discrimination of drug use and drug addiction would lead to the establishment of rehabilitation centres that would cater for the needs of drugs addicts.

However, he cautioned that the Narcotics Board, which will soon be made a commission, would continue to deal ruthlessly with drug barons.