We have learnt about the closure of the Electricity Company Of Ghana (ECG) offices in Somanya in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region a development occasioned by threats issued to staff of the utility company.
It is difficult to process this matter without seeing it as a palpable threat to national security which it is anyway.
Threatening a citizen by anybody constitutes a criminal offence let alone employees of the state of Ghana performing legitimate official duties.
It is a criminality which should be stopped forthwith by the Police before such irresponsible appetite to be lawless is savoured by others. The action of the so-called ‘United Krobo Foundation’ is an affront to the state of Ghana and should not under any circumstance be countenanced.
We fret at the repercussions of the nonsense being played out by the bunch of lawless persons who have zero comprehension of civility and law.
How dare they threaten the ECG staff whose only blunder is that they are serving the consumers of the company in that part of the country!
We won’t be surprised if those issuing the threats and even embarking upon a demonstration against the ECG hardly pay utility bills even as they consume electricity and water.
This crap must stop in this country because we are ruled by law and not arbitrariness.
Although we cannot berate the ECG staff for packing baggage and departing the town because it is about their lives we are surprised that they did not demand initial police protection. We hasten to ask that they return to base and provided with police protection 24/7 immediately. Those people issuing the threats cannot compromise national security with such a reckless impunity.
We recall how a similar incident occurred when unruly Tamale youth attacked power installations in Tamale.
We doff our hats for the traditional authorities in Somanya for condemning the acts of lawlessness executed by the bunch of rascals who are daring the authority of the state.
We highly appreciate the effort the Traditional Council has put is to restore calm and we urge the chiefs to continue to talk to the people to calm down.
The danger posed by the action of the group is that it could foolishly embolden the membership to erroneously think that they have succeeded in harassing agents of the state out of the town and to try more brazen nonsense.
What if they one day declare the town as not within the jurisdiction of the government of Ghana?
Our traditional authorities must speak out against such irresponsible behaviour as have the Somanya chiefs done.
With the ECG not ready to attend to emergencies in the town innocent law-abiding citizens in the town will suffer as much as the law-breakers which is unfair.