Ayawaso C'ssn: Political Tagging Hampers Fight Against Party militia- Police

The Director of Operation, Accra Police Command says police officers who prosecute party militia for crime are tagged politically.

This undermines efforts to disband the political party militia groups, Chief Superintendent Kwesi Ofori told the Emile Short Commission Thursday.

Citing a personal experience in Kumasi, he said, “I have been a victim of some kind of vigilantism. In Kumasi when they were doing this registration of voters, people just arrogated unto themselves the powers to go to any registration Centre and destroy the facilities.”

According to him, efforts to bring these individuals to justice got him transferred to Accra because he was accused of political bias.

The crusade to disband party militia has gathered moment since the Ayawaso by-election turned violent following clashes between supporters of the NDC and men dressed in shirts with inscriptions NSC (National Security Council).

Following this development, government by executive instrument constituted a Commission of Inquiry chaired by a former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Justice Emile Short.

Among other things, the Commission has been tasked to make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to, the events and associated violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon By-Election on the 31st day of January 2019.

Kwesi Ofori added his voice to the increasing calls for the disbandment of party vigilantism. He said the actions of party militia in countries like Liberia ruined that country.

—Myjoyonline