The National Peace Council will be in Bole today, Tuesday 11th June, 2019 to meet the Bole DISEC and Chief Kant, Chiefs and Elders alongside the leadership of Bole Youth for peace and development.
But ahead of the meeting, the Bole Youth for Peace and Development in a statement cautioned the youth to stay off the meeting and allow their leadership to engage in the peace building process.
They also called on the National Peace Council to help work for the volatile situation at Bole under control and possibly lifting of the curfew imposed on Bole township and its environs.
Below is the full statement released by the Bole Youth for Peace and development:
ALL SHOULD EXERCISE RESTRAINED AND PRAY FOR LASTING PEACE IN BOLE
The Bole Youth for Peace and Development call on the National Peace Council to help work for the volatile situation at Bole under control and possibly lifting of the curfew imposed on Bole township and its environs.
The National Peace Council would be in Bole on 11th June, 2019. They will meet DISEC at 11am, Bolewura, Chief and Elders with the leadership of Bole Youth for peace and development at 12:00 pm.
By this notice call on the youth to stay away from the meeting only the leadership have been invited.
Finally, we call on the security men enforcing the curfew imposed on Bole to stop beating and entering peoples houses.
Section 9(d) of Act 491 provides in relevant part that a person who acts contrary to a curfew commits a criminal offence and is liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both. It is clear from this section that it is a criminal offence for a person to act contrary to a curfew. And the penalty for such violation is a fine or imprisonment or both. Under our law, it is only a court exercising criminal jurisdiction that can impose punishment for a criminal offence.
Beatings or brutalities are unknown to the law. Military and police officers enforcing a curfew are legally required to arrest offenders and prosecute them. It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can punish a person who violates a curfew. Any other punishment is extra-judicial and therefore unlawful.
The law does not give military or police officers power to beat up persons who act contrary to a curfew. Indeed, it is unlawful for a military or police officer to beat up or physically abuse or manhandle an offender during curfew hours. A person may lawfully resist any such illegality by fighting back or using any reasonable means to defend himself.
Indeed, situations that necessitate the imposition of curfews often involve highly emotional sentiments and deep-seated opposing “claims of right” characterized by partisan cultural, religious or customary dissensions. Violence does not break without reasons. But the law is supposed to be a neutral and final arbiter of our differences. Indeed, the brightest ideas and plans to solidify our incipient democracy will remain mere pipe dreams if law enforcers resort to lawlessness in enforcing the law.
Signed
Abdulai Haruna Obey
(Secretary)
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