Chief Sintaro Mahama, Sakoya Naa, Vice President Dagbon Forum addressing journalists in Tamale
Dagbon Forum, an association of sons and daughters of Dagbon is calling on the Minister of Interior, Ambrose Derry, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare to speed up investigations and bring the perpetrators of the Lamashegu shooting incident to book.
According to the group, the good people of Dagbon have been victims of police brutality countless times noting that in April 2021 at about 3 am, some police officers undertook armed operations in the densely populated Changli and Dagbani Dabbi-fong communities, suburbs of Tamale where police invaded homes and unleashed mayhem on innocent civilians.
“Whilst many people were injured one victim was shot in the head and had to undergo surgery at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
The police reportedly damaged several properties. Just a week before the Changli incident, police officers assaulted residents of Kukuo under the pretext of enforcing Covid-19 safety protocols. Earlier, some police officers assaulted, injured, and reportedly destroyed properties of residents of Kanvili-Kpawumo, Tishigu, Zujung, and Sabongida.”
The Dagbon Forum blamed the Tamale Metropolitan Police Command for allowing the situation to generate into this unfortunate state.
“What we can say clearly is that we have received reports, and have witnesses, of excessive use of force by some security officers, shooting, live ammunition being used, beatings of innocent citizens as well as detentions in the Tamale Metropolis over the last two years. Dagbon Forum (DF) is alarmed by what appears to be a total disregard of the traditional authority of Dagbon, in ways that constitute violations of, and an affront to the constitution and laws of the country, the group said.
Chief Sintaro Mahama, Sakoya Naa, Vice President Dagbon Forum, addressing journalists said on January 16, 2020, some police officers in Yendi chased an articulator truck driver and his mate to the Dagbon Overlord, Yaa-Naa’s Palace adding that they assaulted, arrested, and injured the driver and his mate at the forecourt of the King’s palace and that a related incident occurred at the Sagnar-Naa’s Palace and now the palace of Lamarche-Naa.
“As the official mouthpiece of Dagbon, we are sending a strong message to the Minister of Interior and the IGP to as a matter of urgency restore professional policing in the Tamale Metropolis and beyond.”
Sakoya Naa called for fair application of the law and due process, administration of justice, and fair compensation to all the victims.
“We recognise and appreciate the steps taken by the IGP, including the interdiction process. We hope the outcome of this will be made public as we continue to calm the nerves of residents of the Lamashegu community. We shall not rest until justice is done and the reckless conduct on the part of the police is stopped. The people of Dagbon have fought so hard to come out of the dark years of negative stereotypes and we shall not sit down to allow a few recalcitrant police officers to drag us back into the mud. We are clear in our minds that the Lamarche-Naa’s palace incident must be the last of its kind.”
He urged citizens of Dagbon to be law-abiding citizens and always follow due process to address their grievances.
On February 13, 2022, there was a clash between some youth of Lamashegu, a suburb of Tamale, and the police in the Northern region, resulting in the shooting of some persons.
The clash started when a driver of an unregistered white salon car refused to stop for the police to carry out routine checks which resulted in the police chasing the vehicle and shooting the driver in the waist.
This infuriated the youth in the area and they mobilized at the Lamashegu palace, where the driver of the vehicle was shot, to attack the police who also started firing warning shots that hit another person in the mouth.
The driver of the unregistered vehicle is currently receiving treatment at the Tamale Teaching hospital.
The police administration has interdicted six officers 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.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale