Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied……..An Open Letter To The IGP And Governor Of Bank Of Ghana

Mr. Inspector General of Police (IGP) you need not to just act, but you really need to act fast. You cannot absolve yourself from blame in all these recent KILLINGS and BRUTALITIES by your men in uniform. The indiscretion by your men must stop. If it were to be something good the police service had done, you would have taken credit for it. H. E. the president did not appointed you to superintend over this MESS. The earlier you call your men to order the better. The police instead of providing SECURITY for the citizenry are rather becoming a THREAT to our security.

Just three days ago, seven (7) innocent citizens were shot and killed in Kumasi by your men; and were latter labeled as armed robbers. Death is a certain event for all of us. They have tasted their own and gone, but tagging them as armed robbers is contentious as I can vouch that is not true. We are waiting for the police to prove that. The narration by DCOP Mensah Duku (Ashanti Regional Commander doesn’t add up. According to the police, all the 7 people were gunned down through a small glass opening at the back of a red Toyota saloon car, yet there was no single blood stain on the car. No wonder journalist present at the press conference were denied the opportunity to ask questions as reported by Star FM’s Ashanti regional reporter (Isaac J. K. Bediako).

In other jurisdictions DCOP Mensah Duku would have resigned from the police service for his irresponsible remarks after the killing of these seven young men under circumstances that could have set Kumasi ablaze. We have fine police officers who are discharging their duties creditably and must be commended. However, we cannot continue to use our taxes to buy guns and other weapons for such miscreants in your midst to be killings us with them. The earlier you weed them out the better for the nation.

As if that was not enough, in less than 48 hours, a nursing mother and her barely 3 months old baby were brutalized by one of your men in a banking hall in Accra; I mean for what? And her crime was that she had refused to leave the banking hall without her money which she has been following for about a week because of a so called network challenge the bank was experiencing. And how is it her fault that the bank could not fix a network challenge they have been facing for about a week?

I am told this incident occurred at the Shiashie Branch of the Midland Savings & Loans company limited. Why is the financial institution apologizing now? Is it because the video has gone viral? The assault occurred on Thursday, 19^th July, 2018. Why wait for more than 24hours to report the matter to the police and issue an apology only after the video had gone viral on social media? The one who recorded the video is indeed a hero and needs to be adequately protected under the whistle blowers act. The policeman in question needs not only to be sacked, but also be prosecuted.

If this policeman's action were to happen in other jurisdiction, the share prices would have started falling at a faster rate. Customers withdrawals would have gone up, in fact the Central Bank would have commence investigation as to why a customer can be frustrated to a point of confronting the bank. This bank may have difficulty honouring check withdrawals.

Nelson Mandela once said and it is indeed true that “When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw”. JUSTICE MUST BE SEEN TO BE DELIVERED in these two (2) unprofessional cases by the police. I entreat the IGP and Governor of Bank of Ghana to restore sanity in the police service and the regulation of these financial institutions. As you carry out your investigations, you must be reminded that JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED.

By: Prince Anuwar-Sadat Amadu
Email: [email protected]
NB: The writer holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting (B.Com (Hons)), is a practicing Customer Experience (Service) Specialist, a Business, Financial, Brands & Communication Consultant, a Writer, a Youth Activist and a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).