Pressure group OccupyGhana has written a letter to the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, requesting for information on the basis for the deployment of an armed force by the National Security to provide security at last Thursday’s by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.
OccupyGhana among other things wants to know why the police facilitated the operations of the force by providing logistics.
“…We write to demand that you kindly indicate to us: The legal bases upon which you assembled, maintained and deployed that force, of any; the circumstances under which the Ghana Police Service facilitated the acts of that force by supplying vehicles or other logistics for the operations of that day,” the letter added.
According to OccupyGhana, the deployment of the said force is against the country’s laws and demanded “reasons and necessity for maintaining the said force outside the legally and constitutionally recognised services established by law.”
The pressure group also demanded the procedure for recruiting persons into the said force and “the financial provision made for maintaining this force.”
The group threatened that it will take necessary actions if the Ministry fails to furnish it with the necessary information.
“This letter is a formal request for information under Article 21 of the Constitution. Further, it constitutes statutory notice of our intention to take appropriate action against the Government should you fail to respond to and address the issues we have raised,” the letter sighted by citinewsroom.com stated.
Background
Videos from a polling centre within the constituency showed the physical assault of some citizens including the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George.
The attack was carried out by some masked men who were heavily armed at some polling stations.
The identities of the masked men and whose instructions they were working under was not known until the Minister of State in Charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong disclosed in a Citi News interview that they were security personnel sanctioned by the state.
OccupyGhana said it is demanding answers in the welfare and interest of Ghanaians.
Below is OccupyGhana’s full letter:
The Honourable Minister for National Security
Accra
Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah
Dear Sir:
DEPLOYMENT OF AN ARMED FORCE BY THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL.
During the 31st January 2019 parliamentary by-election held at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, your office deployed an armed force (not established by law) to ostensibly perform policing duties.
We have seen video footage of these men, attired and bearing arms, engaging in acts of violence that we have condemned in our Public Statement of 1st February 2019.
We have also seen that some of these men were being driven in vehicles bearing the name and insignia of the Ghana Police Service and were, in some instances, chauffeured or accompanied by persons who appeared to be regular police personnel.
Concerned about the legality or otherwise of that force, we have checked the Constitution (particularly articles 83 to 85, 200 and 210) and all statutes relevant to National Security and have found no law that backs the force that your office deployed.
Sir, Ghanaians have exercised our “natural and inalienable right to establish a framework of government” for ourselves, which is required to secure for us and posterity the blessings of liberty among others. It is for this reason that our Constitution affirms that “all powers of Government spring from the Sovereign Will of the People,” in “whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in [the] Constitution.” Thus any act(s) and/or omission(s) that threaten these aspirations and legitimate expectations of Ghanaians ought to arouse the concern of all responsible and well-meaning Ghanaians.
Therefore, we write to demand that you kindly indicate to us:
i. The legal bases upon which you assembled, maintained and deployed that force, of any;
ii. The circumstances under which the Ghana Police Service facilitated the acts of that force by supplying vehicles or other logistics for the operations of that day;
iii. The reason and necessity for maintaining the said force outside the legally and constitutionally recognised services established by law;
iv. The procedure for recruiting persons into the said force; and
v. The financial provision made for maintaining this force.
We demand answers to these questions because the powers of government, as required by law, must be exercised, first, in the welfare of the people who were inexcusably violated by this force, and second, “in the manner and within the limits laid down in [the] Constitution.”
This letter is a formal request for information under Article 21 of the Constitution. Further, it constitutes statutory notice of our intention to take appropriate action against the Government should you fail to respond to and address the issues we have raised.
Thus if we do not hear from you we shall go to Court to seek reliefs including (but not limited to): (a) providing the information requested above, (b) declaring the said force illegal, (c) ordering that the force be disbanded, (d) ordering you to account for all of sums of money expended on maintaining this force, (e) and further ordering that all such sums be refunded to the State, the expenditure on the said force being contrary to law.
We are counting on your co-operation
OccupyGhana®
cc. His Excellency the President
His Excellency the Vice-President
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Defence
Minister for the Interior
Minister for Finance
Chief of Defence Staff
Inspector General of Police
The Auditor-General
National Security Coordinator
–
By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey | Citinewsroom.com | Ghana