This Political Vigilante Group ‘Madness’ Must Stop Now!

Three days ago, members of a vigilante group, Delta Force, believed to be associated with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), attacked George Adjei, the man President Nana Akufo-Addo has appointed as the new Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator.

Reports say members of the group stormed the premises of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, demanding the removal of Mr. Adjei as head of the Security Council.

According to the group, they cannot work with Mr. Adjei, because he did not contribute to the party's electoral success.

As part of the action to demonstrate their displeasure of the President's decision to appoint Mr. Adjei, the group broke louvre blades, vandalised furniture, and ransacked the office of the Regional Security Coordinator.

A day after the incident, reports trickled in that the Regional Police Command had arrested one Kwadwo Bamba, who is believed to be the organiser of the vigilante group, and is currently in the cooler, helping the police with investigations.

The Regional Police Command assured members of the general public that more arrests will be made soon, stressing that “we are also asking those who were involved to make themselves available to the police, because at all costs we will make sure that whoever is picked is made to face the full rigours of the law.”

The Chronicle is overjoyed that someone has been picked up in connection with the attack on Mr. Adjei, and wish, just as all other Ghanaians following the event, to see to the logical conclusion,

The paper believes that the time has come for the activities of these so-called political vigilante groups, which have been pestering the lives of innocent Ghanaians any time there is change in government, to end.

Since the NPP won elections about three months ago, it is either the Delta Force or the more aggressive and popular group, Invincible Forces, attacking people, especially those from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

A day or two after President Akufo-Addo had been sworn into office, the Invincible Forces stormed the Passport Office and began asking questions as to how things are run over there.

The same day, another group of the Invincible Forces in the Tema West constituency, numbering about 200, also descended on the premises of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), demanding to be employed as security men.

The least talked about, the number of toilets, toll booths and other state institutions across the length and breadth of the country, these groups have forcibly taken over, the better.

We have again heard about the brutalities members of these two vigilante groups have visited on a number of Ghanaians, all in the name of sacrificing for the NPP while in opposition, and for which reason they are asking for their share of the national cake.

That is not to say that the NDC is innocent when it comes to its vigilante group, Azorka Boys.  When the party took over power in 2009, under the late Prof. Atta-Mills, we all know what happened, including the hacking to death of some NPP supporters at Fadama in Accra by some of these NDC vigilante groups, for which, up to date, no culprit has been arrested and prosecuted.

What was wrong during the tenure of both Prof Atta-Mills and John Mahama is equally wrong today, under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

On many occasions, these groups have acted with impunity, and nobody has called them to order, or punished them, because they always enjoy the support of their political leaders, which eventually render their cases 'useless'.

It is against this backdrop that The Chronicle is commending the Ghana Police in Kumasi for arresting someone in connection with this case.

We are calling on the police, not to end their investigations here, but continue to its logical conclusion, and if found guilty, Kwadwo Bamba, now in police custody, be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

What the police must note is that nobody is above the laws of this country, and, therefore, anybody involved in such acts of brutalities must be arrested and brought to justice.

We are calling on Ghanaians not to lay the blame of such incidents at the doorsteps of the President, because, constitutionally, it is the duty of the police to arrest and prosecute offenders of the law.

Since the President has already condemned such acts of violence from members of the vigilante groups, and gone further to order the police to do their job, it is expected that the men in black would live up to expectations, as they have done in this case.

This political vigilante group 'madness' must stop now!