Ibrahim Mahama
The Tamale metropolis was nearly overrun by drug-related criminalities until the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, thought out a concept of stemming the anomaly.
It worked albeit for a while until things started going downhill.
The temptation for a law enforcement special operation unit to go overboard cannot be overlooked. History of such units and their accompanying human rights abuse baggage worldwide abound. They have in the long run outlived their usefulness, arbitrariness and extrajudicial actions marring their records.
It is unfortunate that in his bid to rid the Northern Regional capital and adjoining areas of drug-related criminalities, the IGP had to reverse the deployment following demands from prominent personalities in Tamale to do that.
The calls for the withdrawal of the Black Maria squad for want of a better description has itself come under attack by a section of stakeholders who think some powerful politicians were behind it.
Indeed, the subject attracted divergent positions. While one side demanded immediate withdrawal of the cops from Tamale, others held a contrary position. Be it as it may, the Chief Constable had to oblige the withdrawal demand.
Even after packing their kits and exiting Tamale, the man whose name has become synonymous with the unit, DSP/Mr. Abdul Jalil, returned to the metropolis where he was alleged to be embroiled in a worrying human rights quagmire.
A famous artist, Ibrahim Mahama, claimed he was reportedly assaulted by the Black Maria squad, which to the best of our knowledge had been ordered out of Tamale with no business being there. The unit is said to have been deployed to the Volta Regional capital, Ho.
Ibrahim Mahama claimed to have lost two teeth and could not travel to the UK on schedule for a professional engagement.
We demand a thorough investigation into the alleged assault of the artist, especially since the Black Maria squad denies the claims. We would especially want to know why the squad after being ordered out of Tamale would still return to do what they are accused of doing.
DSP Abdul Jalil has been very active on social media in a manner which has left conservative retired police officers and others still serving to wonder why policing should now be a social media engagement.
Professional policing is not about noisy posts on social media but a silent yet effective enforcement of the law and protective of lives and properties devoid of ‘eye service’.
Law enforcement which tramples upon the human rights of individuals should be discouraged. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brouhaha in the US should guide us whenever we think about deploying ad hoc special squads.
To treat Tamale as a personal turf by the Black Maria is not something the IGP planned, there are many unsung professional cops who do not seek space on social media.
We do not doubt the willingness of the IGP to probe the assault allegation, which is necessary if we cherish the protection of our human rights.