KILLED! Baba Kande and KILLED! Hanan Bashiru
Families of the seven Zongo youth that were mistakenly shot and killed by the police at Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region will each take home GH¢250,000 as compensation.
President Akufo-Addo made the announcement during the official opening of the ‘Zongo for Peace and Development’ conference in Kumasi yesterday.
He admitted that the money cannot replace the seven precious lost souls, who were mistaken for armed robbers by the police, resulting in their untimely deaths a few months ago.
President Akufo-Addo was hopeful the financial package would help lessen the plight of the seven bereaved families.
He disclosed that any police officer that would be found culpable in the dicey case would be prosecuted, urging the public to remain calm.
President Akufo-Addo gave an assurance that he would personally play an active role so as to help ensure that justice is served in the matter to allay the fears of the public.
He condemned faceless people that instigated the youth in the Zongo areas to cause trouble following the killing of the seven people, saying “such people will not succeed.”
The conference is under the theme: “Building Our Zongo Communities through Tolerance and Peace.”
It is geared towards enhancing the growth of Zongo communities in the country.
Kingpins from the Zongos would share ideas to transform their communities at the conference, which is the brainchild of the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development.
President Akufo-Addo insisted that it is never true that people in the Zongo areas are troublemakers, noting that contrary to that perception, Zongo people are loyal and peaceful.
According to him, he was born and bred at Nima, a popular Zongo community in Accra, adding that “I am the right person to talk about the nature of the Zongo people since I am a Zongo boy.”
He said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration is committed to developing the Zongo areas in order to eradicate poverty and address the challenges facing people living in those areas.
In that regard, the president stated that the Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development had been instituted to help accelerate the transformation of Zongo areas.
President Akufo-Addo urged the citizenry not to politicize the activities of the Zongo Ministry, stressing that this year looks promising for the Zongo areas with regard to developmental projects.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu, in a speech read on his behalf, passionately appealed to government to address the high unemployment among Zongo youth.
He was of the conviction that the Zongo communities would experience massive transformation if government created jobs to solve the high unemployment quandary.
The Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, Mustapha Hamid, ministers of state, Zongo chiefs, Imams and opinion leaders, just to mention a few, were present at the conference.
Following the unfortunate shooting incident at Manso-Nkwanta on July 17, 2018, the government established a five-member fact-finding committee to look into the matter.
The members of the fact-finding committee included Justice Obeng Diawuo, a High Court judge; Rev. Prof. Osei-Safo Kantanka, Methodist Bishop; Sheik Ahmed Seidu, Executive Secretary at Office of the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, David Adu-Osei, Ashanti Regional BNI Commander, Emelia Ayebenu Botchway, acting Ashanti Regional Coordinating Director.
The committee, which submitted its report to government, said there was no evidence that the deceased were armed robbers who exchanged fire with the police.
From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi