Mr. Japhet Festus Gbede, a youth activist in the Akatsi south municipality of the Region, has appealed to the youth in the area to remain calm in the wake of Sunday’s shooting incident, which claimed one life and injured one other person.
“It is sad that we have lost two precious lives. However, it is incumbent on our youths to exercise restraint,” he said in a press statement.
The incident was triggered by the death of one Setor Alakede, 20, who was reportedly killed while returning home on a motorbike on Saturday afternoon, April 09.
I am traumatized by this development and strongly condemn security officials’ excessive and violent use of force in the District, including the firing of live rounds at unarmed individuals who were simply exercising their constitutional right to protest the unsolved “death” of their cohorts, he stated.
Mr. Japhet called on the Inspector General of Police and CHRAJ to commission thorough investigations into the issue.
While I applaud the regional commander and his crime officer for moving quickly to begin investigations into this matter, I remain concerned that it is only legitimate that an independent body investigates the circumstances surrounding Setor’s death and the deaths of the two other civilians who were gunned down by the officers in uniform.
In this regard, I call on the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), whose authority encompasses this occurrence, which entails grave human rights violations, to conduct a full investigation into the incident and bring all those found responsible to justice, he added.
He also called on the various leaders in the locality to speak out against activities and incidents that disrupt peace in the area, saying, “For peace to prevail, I would like to take this opportunity to urge our politicians, traditional and religious leaders, and other key stakeholders in the municipality to engage the relevant bodies and speak out against the recent events that have disrupted the constituency’s peace and stability.” ”
What was intended to be a peaceful meetup at the police station following the death of the 20-year-old student of Akast, turned violent as some of the aggrieved youth decided to vent their spleen on anything in sight.
In the ensuing mayhem, a combined security personnel team detailed to maintain order reportedly shot to disperse the crowd, resulting in the death of one. One other person who sustained gunshot wounds is currently on admission at the Volta Regional Hospital.
READ HIS FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
APRIL 10, 2022 April 9, and Sunday, April 10, 2022, two people were reportedly killed by security forces when the youth of Akatsi in the Volta Region was believed to be demanding the reason behind the unfortunate death of one Setor Alakede.
According to a viral video, when security personnel arrived on the scene, they fired warning shots into the air before turning their attention to the unarmed civilians, firing live rounds into the crowd and reportedly killing one of them on the spot and injuring another, who is also in critical condition.
As we continue to investigate what exactly led to the attacks on both parties, I wish to categorically inform our men in uniform that killing unarmed civilians is unconstitutional, hence a crime.
I want to use this medium to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
I am traumatized by this development and strongly condemn security officials’ excessive and violent use of force in the District, including the firing of live rounds at unarmed individuals who were simply exercising their constitutional right to protest the unsolved “death” of their cohort.
This terrible occurrence, as well as numerous others in the recent past, testifies to a long-standing, chronic, and recurring flaw in how the country’s security institutions handle riots.
The undemocratic exercise of police powers and the unjustified use of force by officers who are too eager to show off their braggadocio frequently end in needless deaths and injuries, as the latest incident in Akatsi is a prime example.
I am also deeply concerned by the frequent deployment of security personnel on domestic security matters in the country, and I urge the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and the National Security hierarchy to reweigh when and how to deploy personnel from other security service departments because the Ghana Police Service is constitutionally mandated to maintain internal security and should remain so until the need arises.
While I applaud the regional commander and his crime officer for moving quickly to begin investigations into this matter, I remain concerned that it is only legitimate that an independent body investigates the circumstances surrounding Setor’s death and the deaths of the two other civilians who were gunned down by the officers in uniform.
In this regard, I call on the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), whose authority encompasses this occurrence, which entails grave human rights violations, to conduct a full investigation into the incident and bring all those found responsible to justice.
As I petition the IGP, George Akuffo Dampare, to immediately appoint an impartial body to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killings, I would want to again appeal to him to take responsibility for putting a stop to the police and civilian violence in Akatsi under his watch.
For peace to prevail, I would like to take this opportunity to urge our politicians, traditional and religious leaders, and other key stakeholders in the municipality to engage the relevant bodies and speak out against recent events that have disrupted the constituency’s peace stability.
To conclude, I would like to urge the Akatsi teaming youths, and indeed all Avenorians, to remain calm.
We must all exercise restraint and not engage in any acts of violence as investigations continue to bring to justice all those responsible for the unlawful killings and injuries of our people.
