Ablekuma North Re-Run Election: Police Officer Who Assaulted Journalist Facing Criminal Charges
- Police have said the officer who assaulted a journalist during the Ablekuma North election will face criminal charges
- The Accra Regional Police Command said it is committed to ensuring that all persons responsible for acts of violence face justice
- Police are reviewing multiple videos to identify all individuals involved in the disturbances
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The police officer captured on video assaulting a journalist during the Ablekuma North parliamentary re-run election is set to face criminal charges.
The Ghana Police Service said it had taken statements from the victim and the witness as part of investigations into violence during the election.
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In a statement, it also said it was reviewing multiple videos to identify the persons behind the disturbances.
The assaulted journalist and other victims have been issued Police Medical Report Forms to support their medical and legal cases.
The officer involved was interdicted after the incident.
"The Accra Regional Police Command reiterates its commitment to ensuring that all persons responsible for acts of violence, intimidation, or misconduct during the elections will be held accountable under the law.”
In comments on the conduct of the Ablekuma North election, governance analyst Ewald Garr told YEN.com.gh, stressed the importance of the police setting a good example.
"The police need to discipline officers that are found to be intimidating people and abusing people’s rights… if we want free and fair elections, then the hierarchy of the police must make sure the police show leadership.”
About the Ablekuma North election violence
The Electoral Commission held an election rerun in 19 polling stations in the Ablekuma North Constituency on July 11.
Disputes from the December 7, 2024, general elections left the constituency without a Member of Parliament for months.
Over a dozen unidentified men stormed the St. Peter’s polling station, disrupting the voting process and causing widespread panic.
The violence also featured assaults on New Patriotic Party members like Hawa Koomson, a former MP for Awutu Senya East and Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture; Dakoa Newman, a former MP for Okaikoi South, and Chris Lloyd, Deputy National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party.
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Source: Facebook
Police were criticised for their inaction during the election, with no arrests made over a week since the incident.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, assured that individuals involved in the violent incidents during the rerun will be prosecuted regardless of partisan affiliation.
Mohammed-Mubarak also called the violence a scar on Ghana's democracy during a press conference on July 14.
"I have spoken to the IGP firmly on all the happenings of Ablekuma North, and the videos have been forwarded to him. We’ve instructed him to act swiftly and bring the perpetrators to book."
“We are not going to condone wrongdoing, whether it involves people from within our party or from outside.”
During the election, police arrested people who allegedly impersonated security officers at the Awoshie DVLA polling station during the Ablekuma North elections.
The suspects were dressed in brown uniforms and failed to identify themselves. They were taken to the Odorkor Police Station as investigations began.
Ewurabena Aubynn apologises after Ablekuma North violence
YEN.com.gh reported that Ewurabena Aubynn, the MP-elect for Ablekuma North on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), apologised over the violence that marred the recent rerun elections in the constituency.
Aubynn also shared well wishes to the victims of the violence.
She made history as the first NDC candidate to win the Ablekuma North seat after defeating Ghana’s former Deputy Ambassador to China, Nana Akua Afriyieh, who stood on the ticket of the NPP.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
