The demonstrators
A group of Ghanaian youth on Saturday staged a protest in Accra, marching from Circle to East Legon to prompt authorities on the increasing number of atrocities in the country.
The demonstrators were demanding the immediate departure of Nigerian nationals from the country, citing an alleged rise in prostitution, kidnapping, and other crimes they associate with the increasing Nigerian presence.
The protesters also expressed frustration over the dominance of Nigerian traders on Ghanaian markets, accusing them of undercutting prices and making it difficult for local traders to compete.
Some of the protesters say they plan to march to the residence of a self-proclaimed Igbo king in Ghana as part of their demonstration. The protesters were seen holding placards which read: “Armed Robbery and Violent Attacks Must Stop”, and “Send them back”, among others.
In the wake of the protests and agitation from the Ghanaian youth, Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, on the floor of Parliament, called on Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to invite the Interior Minister for questioning over the heightened killings in the country.
“Mr. Speaker, I say this with a lot of a heavy heart. We have been reading news about people going missing, and the next day or two, their bodies are found. We read about a number of them. I can cite them, but it says national security matters, and I need to be cautious about how I relate to this matter,” he stated.
Annoh-Dompreh called on the Speaker to invite the Ministers for the Interior and National Security to meet Members of Parliament at a plenary.
“You should meet us in closed seating. Even yesterday, we had two killings again in the Ashanti Region. Even today, it happened again. Then we can have a closed seating for him to brief us. We may also have some good suggestions. We are representing various constituencies, and Members of Parliament may be carrying unique and diverse information, which could be made available to aid the work and operation of the minister. So I think this is a matter we need to act as people’s representatives, we can’t cross over. And I pray that you invite the Interior Minister to meet with colleagues today.”
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke