Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says he and his colleague are not just fighting for those who were shot dead during the 2020 election, but also, those who were injured in the process and have been neglected by government.
Two days ago, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and the Ellembelle MP, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, filed a petition at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), for a probe into the violence and killings recorded during the 2020 polls.
The MPs are invoking CHRAJ’s legal mandate to investigate the conduct of security officers in the election.
There are two Private Members motions in Parliament currently seeking to probe the violence recorded in the 2020 elections.
The petition from the two is lodged against the Ministers for Interior and Defence, the Inspector General of Police, and the Chief of Defence staff.
It is restricted to the Techiman South, Odododiodio, Ablekuma Central, and Savelugu constituencies in the Bono East, Greater Accra, and Northern Regions of the Republic of Ghana respectively.
“The complainants herein bring this matter before the Commission based on the Commission’s legal mandate to investigate the conduct of the security officers complained about in the instant petition in a timeous manner for justice to prevail for the victims and their families”, parts of the petition read.
The complaint relates to the manner in which the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Armed Forces discharged their constitutional and statutory mandates in the constituencies mentioned above during the polls.
Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa described the 2020 election as the bloodiest election as compared to the others in the fourth republic.
The MP said since 1992, there has not been an election where seven persons have been shot and killed, with some injured and others still receiving treatment at hospitals while others underwent multiple surgeries.
“We went for a national election and seven persons were killed and yet, nothing has happened, there has been no sanctions against the perpetrators, no interdiction has taken place. The National Security Taskforce issued a statement on December 10th, 2020 after the election that they catalogued the people who died and they promised an investigation into the matter. They gave us this assurance and over eight months, no investigations, no reports on these investigations, nobody has been held liable, no sanctions at all and so as responsible members of parliament, we cannot pretend that nothing happened,” he said.
The MP noted that some others, including innocent children who had nothing to do with the election were also shot dead while others sustained injuries of which some are still undergoing multiple surgeries.
According to him, the families of those who lost their lives were shocked that government had neglected them eight months after the election.
For those who were injured, including a young journalist, he said they had to depend on the benevolence of some individuals and groups to raise funds for their surgery.
The MP continued that, “We are not only fighting for those who died, we are also fighting for those who also were injured.”
Reliefs
“We are seeking a thorough and diligent investigations that would lead to the identification of the perpetrators, those who pulled the trigger because video footages are there and you will see them and so they should be identified. We are also looking for those who also gave the command, because before soldiers will go somewhere and fire, then a high official or authority might have given him the order and so we want them to identify those who are in the chain of command and gave those orders,” he said.
The MP also stressed that, “We are also demanding compensation for the families of the deceased because they could be the bread winners and some are also young.”
Meanwhile, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said CHRAJ has acknowledged receipt of the petition, saying that they are expecting CHRAJ to commence investigations any moment from now.
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Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
Writer’s email: [email protected]
