REGSEC with stakeholders at the engagement in Tamale
The Northern Regional Police Commander, COP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, has assured the chiefs and people of Lamashegu in the Northern region that the police administration will not shield any police officer in the Lamashegu shooting incident.
According to him, the police administration will not support any misconduct saying “ I will not shield or protect any member of the service who has misconducted themselves, no unprofessional conduct will be accepted and it may seem to be taking time but in the end, the sanctions will come.”
He thanked the Lamashegu Naa for rescuing the police officer who was nearly lynched by residents after the police fired into the unregistered vehicle they were persuading.
The Northern Regional Police Commander made this known at a meeting organized by REGSEC to engage stakeholders on ways to strengthen the police and civilians relationship and avoid future clashes in the region.
On February 13, 2022, there was a clash between some youth of Lamashegu, a suburb of Tamale, and the police in the Northern region.
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 chief’s 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.
An 18-year-old Abdul Hakim Yakubu, a Junior High School (JHS) graduate was hit and killed by a stray bullet in the Lamashegu shooting incident and has since been buried.
In a swift reaction, 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.
Corporal Samson Kweku Darfour, is standing trial at the Tamale Circuit Court for allegedly shooting the driver of the Toyota Camry salon car at the Lamashegu chief’s palace causing mayhem as a result.
He has been charged with unlawful discharge of weapons and causing harm.
The Northern Regional Minister, Shani Alhaasan Shaibu, appealed to residents not to take the law into their own hands but rather follow due process to address their concerns.
The Paramount Chief of the Nanton Traditional Area, Naa Bawa Mohammed (V) who represented the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya Na Abukari II, called on the police to collaborate with chiefs in Dagbon to promote peace in the region.
The Ya Na urged that police organize open forums for the public to educate them on the nature of police operations because most citizens are ignorant of the operations of security agencies in their localities.
The Overlord assured the police of the support of Dagbon chiefs to ensure that they provide Dagbon with the necessary protection.
Chiefs, CSOs, Peace Council, Religious leaders, various security agencies attended graced the stakeholder’s engagement.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale