The Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, said on Monday that individuals involved in the violent incidents during the Ablekuma North parliamentary election rerun will be arrested and prosecuted, irrespective of their political affiliations.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House, he stated emphatically that the government would not spare all perpetrators of the violence that marred the parliamentary rerun.
The Minister confirmed that video evidence of the attacks has been handed over to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for immediate action.
“I have spoken to the IGP firmly on all the happenings of Ablekuma North, and the videos have been forwarded to him. We’ve instructed him to act swiftly and bring the perpetrators to book,” said the Interior Minister.
“We are not going to condone wrongdoing, whether it involves people from within our party or from outside.”
The Accountability Series is a government initiative allowing ministers to update citizens on their respective sectors.
“The Ministry is keen to seize every opportunity presented to it towards executing its mandate, plans, programmes, and ensuring peace and security for the good people of Ghana,” he noted.
The Minister also reminded the public of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), cautioning that political thuggery will not be tolerated.
“I want to remind myself and all Ghanaians about the provision of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019, Act 999, that all of us need to be mindful of the activities of vigilantism,” he said.
The Minister condemned the violence that marred the rerun, adding, “It is a scar on all of our consciences that as a people who have practised democracy for over three decades, we can’t simply just go and have elections and it be violence-free.”
Mohammed-Mubarak praised the current leadership for taking a strong public stance against the violence. “Almost all of us at the top have condemned it. In the past, you wouldn’t have got that. The Vice President has done that. The President is out of the country, and the Vice President is leading us, and she condemned it.”
Addressing the assault on a journalist during the election, the Minister confirmed that the police officer involved has been identified. “We know where he is, we know where we can find him, and we can easily go after him,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged the challenges in apprehending some of the other culprits, noting that they tend to “vanish from the system.”
Despite these challenges, he gave a firm assurance: “The assurance is that we are not going to allow this to go unpunished. The law will have to take its course.”
He urged Ghanaians to play an active role in maintaining peace, saying, “We must all contribute our quota in ensuring that we live peacefully with each other regardless of gender, religion, ethnic origin, or economic or social status.” Enditem
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