Residents of the Tamale suburb of Lamashegu were on Sunday greeted with mayhem after the police fired at a driver for refusing to stop when he was ordered to do so.
So bad was the situation that the military had to move in to perform a supporting role. It was the intervention which doused the fire although it rendered the situation chaotic for some time.
A preliminary report has it that an unregistered vehicle was stopped during a routine check by the police but the driver ignored the order and drove on.
The police reacted by firing at the driver, which triggered a response from the youth who had assembled at the Lamashegu chief’s palace.
They charged on the police and a video of the occurrence showed the youth attacking the police, as some of them screamed in Dagbani, “We shall kill them.”
The military moved in to support the police to enforce law and order.
Two persons, including the driver of the unregistered vehicle, are on admission at the Tamale Teaching Hospital receiving attention.
Interdiction
In a swift reaction, the police administration has interdicted six officers over the incident and ordered an investigation into the incident.
The six interdicted officers are Corporal Samson Kweku Darfour, Corporal Prosper Mormesimu, General Constable Harrison Twum Danso, Constable Matthew Sah, Constable Nuhu Muntari, and Constable Doris Serwaa Bonsu.
A statement signed by the Director-General, Public Affairs, DCOP Kwesi Ofori, said the police administration has also dispatched a team of investigators, led by the Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), DCOP Frederick Agyei, to lead the investigation into the incident.
To work alongside the CID is a team from the Police Professional Standards Bureau (PPSB), whose term of reference is dealing with breaches of professional standards on the part of the police officers.
The statement added that the Northern Regional Police Command has been tasked to liaise with affected families and offer them the necessary support, in line with police regulations.
The police have appealed to the people of Lamashegu and the entire Tamale metropolis, to remain calm as investigation continues into the unfortunate occurrence.
“We would like to assure the public that anybody found culpable will be dealt with according to the law,” it said.
Lamashegu Chief
In a related development, the Lamashegu Chief, Naa Ziblim Abdulai, has called for calm and pleaded with the youth in the area to allow the police to investigate the incident which resulted in the shooting of some persons.
Naa Ziblim Abdulai also called on the Ghana Police Service to ensure that all those involved in the shooting incident at the palace are brought to book.
FROM Eric Kombat, Lamashegu