COP Isaac Ken Yeboah
It has emerged that the shooting incidences that led to the deaths of five persons and injuries to several others during the December 7, 2020 general election, were largely provoked by supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), eliciting a response from the security agencies.
There were shooting incidents during the counting of ballots in the Odododiodio Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Techiman South in the Bono East Region and Savelugu in the Northern Region; and police official investigation has shown that the NDC supporters fired the first shots in each of the incidents before the police cum military reacted to restore law and order.
The Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), COP Isaac Ken Yeboah, at a press briefing in Accra on Friday, gave detailed account of how the shootings occurred in the listed constituencies and pointed out the role every political party played in the violence.
Techiman Shooting
According to the CID Boss, their investigation showed that on December 8, 2020, a day after the voting, around 4:00pm, when the Techiman District Electoral Officer and political party representative were at the Techieman South Constituency Collation Centre working on the presidential and parliamentary results, some supporters of the ruling NPP started jubilating that their candidate had won the election after the projected parliamentary results showed that NPP had 49,582 and NDC 49,205.
He said a mob of NDC supporters began throwing stones at Bonokyempim Hall, which served as the collation centre, saying “the police and military personnel on duty tried to calm the situation down but all efforts made proved futile.
He revealed that in the course of the melee, someone (yet to be arrested) fired a shot from the crowd and others started throwing stones and other weapons at the officials at the collation centre, adding that “in response, the security personnel also resorted to firing warning shots to disperse the rioters.”
It was later found that eight adults were injured in the process, he said.
COP Yeboah maintained that the police called the National Ambulance Team which was on standing by at the centre and the victims were rushed to the Holy Family Hospital where Abdalla Ayarek and Tajudeen Mohammed were pronounced dead on arrival.
He said the injured victims were identified as Nashiru Alhassan, 26; Jadalhak Iddris, 26; Aremeyaw Alhassan, 37; Abubarkar iddri, 27; Eliasu Sulemana, 25; and Shaibi Bani, 27, and were still on admission receiving treatment.
Odododiodio Firing
On the Odododiodio shooting incident, the CID Boss said that while vote count was still ongoing around 8:36pm on December 7, some group of persons believed to be supporters of the NPP who thought the results were going in favour of their parliamentary candidate (PC), Nii Lante Bannerman, started jubilating.
He said some of the supporters boarded vehicles and thronged the streets towards the direction of Modack Hotel at Korlewoko in the constituency.
“Some persons, who were not happy about the development, fired weapons from a distance into the crowd and injured Emmanuel Dompre, 36, and Botwe Takie, 16.
They were rushed to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for treatment and were pronounce dead on arrival.
Six other victims were hit by the pellet of the weapons used and were also rushed to the same hospital for treatment, the CID Boss said.
He said the Accra Regional Police rushed to the scene to retrieved weapons which included two pistols with 22 rounds of ammunition, a pump-action gun with 20 rounds of BB live cartridges, six pepper sprays, a flashlight, a machete, four jack knives, three communication handsets, and a cash of GH¢ 1,000 hidden in a hotel room where the gun was fired from.
He said the police also found two kitchen knives and a ballistic vest from the hotel room where the weapon’s fire came from.
Interestingly, the said hotel room was the same room being occupied by the NDC candidate who is the incumbent MP for the area, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the CID Boss affirmed.
Savelugu Incident
The CID Director General said in the case of Savelugu, one person was shot dead while three others were injured as unknown gunmen fired into jubilant supporters of the NDC in the area.
He said a 12-year-old girl identified as Zakaria Samira (now deceased) was rushed to the Savelugu Municipal Hospital but she died shortly on arrival but the three others sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were admitted and currently receiving treatment.
“Intelligence gathered indicated that the shooting emanated from the parliamentary candidate’s office and an AK47 rifle was used as jubilant supporters of the party massed up there to celebrate his victory following the parliamentary election,” he said.
He said they had intelligence that guns were being stockpiled in a house and office, and on December 9, 2020 at about 4:00pm, a combined team of police and military personnel of both the Northern Regional Police Command and Fifth infantry Battalion, Tamale, went to Savelugu to conduct a search in the house.
COP Yeboah stressed that the house was cordoned off and suspect Mohammed Ahmed, Chief of Duko (a village in Savelugu), was met and when his room was searched, an AK47 rifle with two magazines loaded with 40 rounds of ammunition and a G3 ammunition and one cartridge were retrieved.
“He was arrested with two others and has since been remanded by a court in Savelugu,” he added.
He revealed that on that same day, the police proceeded to the NDC candidate’s office, which formed part of the house where the chief was arrested, but the candidate was not there, adding that “some supporters of the PC called him on phone to give him the development about the presence of the police and so he refused to show up.”
The CID Boss said the police, after waiting for four hours without him showing up, broke into the office in the presence of some journalists in Tamale where a search led to the discovery of an AK47 assault rifle with two magazines loaded with 60 rounds of ammunitions under one of the office chairs.
“The PC identified as Alhaji Iddrris Yakubu has since refused to report to assist the police with their investigations despite being invited by the police on phone,” he explained, adding, “Currently, his office is being sealed off and placed under police guard until he reports to the police.”
The CID Boss said meanwhile the chief had been charged for possession of fire arms without licence and was remanded into police custody
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey