ASEPA ignores police, sets September 21 for demo against Agyapa deal

The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), has set Monday, September 21, 2020, as the day it will be embarking on a massive demonstration against the controversial Agyapa Gold Royalties deal despite a refusal by the Ghana Police Service to sanction the demonstration.

According to the Executive Secretary of the pressure group, Mensah Thompson, the refusal of the police to sanction the protest will not in any way deter them from embarking on the exercise to register their displeasure against the deal.

“We sent a letter to the police and the police said they will not sanction the demonstration for us, but the demonstration is going to happen. It will take place because the very EI the police are citing to stop us from embarking on the demonstrating was in existence when some people demonstrated in Asamankese.

Just last week, people gathered and demonstrated at Asamkese over a Facebook post. They were allowed notwithstanding the existence of coronavirus. But when we say we are also doing the same to protect the nation's resources you want to prevent us; that is not going to happen. On September 21 we are going to hit the streets of Accra and we urge everyone to come and join us,” he stated in an interview on Okay Fm monitored by GhanaWeb.

The Ghana Police Service in their response to ASEPA indicated that they are unable to sanction the intended demonstration because of the restrictions imposed on public gatherings of persons exceeding 200.

According to the letter signed by the Deputy Regional Commander of Greater Accra, Assistant Commissioner of Police E. A Sakyi, the demonstration which is expected to be attended by about 20,000 people has the tendency to breach COVID-19 protocols.

The police further noted that a breach of such manner could endanger public health safety and security, and therefore underscored that it could not sanction a demonstration in a COVID-19 era.

See the Ghana Police Service letter to ASEPA below