Adentan Riots: CPP condemns 'police brutality'

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has criticised the Ghana Police Service over the “brutalities” meted out to residents of Adentan in the Greater Accra Region, who rioted in protest to the numerous fatal accidents on the Adentan-Madina Highway on Thursday following the killing of a first-year student of the West Africa Senior High School (WASS) by a speeding car in front of the school.

“We condemn in very strong terms the police brutalities that followed the demonstrations by the people of the area in protest to the lack of footbridges. We demand that answers are provided by the managers of our security outfit for the poor and unprofessional handling of the situation,” Acting General Secretary of CPP, James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr., said in a press statement on Friday, 9 November 2018.

According to him: “We have witnessed incidents that suggest that the IGP, BNI, National Security, and the entire intelligence community seem to be sleeping on their job”.

Thursday’s spontaneous riots started around 3:30 pm after the fatal accident that killed the schoolgirl.

The driver who knocked down the student has been arrested and placed in police custody.

The police, however, said its officers who were deployed to control the riots adopted the appropriate measures in controlling the violent crowd.

The law enforcement agency said contrary to false reports, only one person got injured during the melee.

The police also assured the residents of the area of their safety following the rising spate of carnage on the Adentan-Madina Highway.

However, the CPP thinks the police acted unprofessionally.

The party has also called on the authorities to fix the roads in the country and ensure safety systems are implemented.

Below is the full statement:

STATEMENT ON THE ADENTA ACCIDENT AND POLICE BRUTALITIES BY THE CONVENTION PEOPLE’S PARTY ON NOVEMBER 9, 2018.

The Convention People’s Party, CPP sends her sympathies and condolences to the family of the lost student and people of Adentan on the accident that took away a young life. We condemn in very strong terms the police brutalities that followed the demonstrations by the people of the area in protest of the lack of footbridges. We demand that answers are provided by the managers of our security outfit for the poor and unprofessional handling of the situation.

We have witnessed incidents that suggest that the IGP, BNI, National Security, and the entire intelligence community seem to be sleeping on their job. Or is it the case that they are ill/un-equipped by the Executive to live up to their mandate with their tacit consent of silence? It is becoming one too many and seriously threatens the peace of the nation. Guns and violence have never proved to be an antidote to demonstrations even when they are illegitimate and unwarranted.

Our Parliament, made up and controlled by the duopoly political class of NPP/NDC, with a directionless bureaucracy have failed to exercise the oversight required of them. So before the NDC wades into this matter to seek to take any political advantage, they should be telling Ghanaians how they cannot be held responsible for their complicity. They are complicit both at the Executive and Legislative levels. For the 25 years of the 4th Republic, it has been the two of them, NDC/NPP in charge. Ghanaians are tired of them.

The Adentan accident and many of the accidents on our roads call to question the kind of work our engineers superintend technically in their construction duties. We have seen how the under 10 years inconceivable roundabouts from Ejisu to Kumasi have been raked away with months of neglect following. We are aware of how calls by residents and the general public were ignored at the beginning of the construction of these N-road to have footbridges. And before anyone responds to this with the finger pointed at the politician, we ask, what happened to professional competence and integrity of the Engineers?

Ghana’s engineering fraternity and a lot more of our professional class must remember that nations are built with some ethos which must govern the conduct of their work. Among these are patriotism, selflessness, honesty, compassion, love, tolerance for divergent and opposing views. Where the fear of God and respect for fellow humans dictate the pace for every step. That is how great nations were built. The show of arrogance and disrespect have no place in the best ways things are done.



The CPP stands with the hurting and suffering Ghanaian. We call on our president and his history-making high number of ministers to share in the suffering and hurting of Ghanaians and work to lessen our plights. We urge them to focus attention on the breakdown in law and order inspired by the hooligans, pampered with the incongruous description of vigilantism. They must rein in their members whose comments have fuelled wayward and unlawful behaviour including attacks on our courts.

Today is the day to act. Now is the moment to do right. Those before us did their bit. It is our turn to do our best. The advance of this nation depends largely on the decisions and lives we lead. It is incumbent on us to acquit ourselves honourably in the discharge on this onerous responsibility.

May we inspired and spurred to action by the misfortunes of today self-inflicted as they may be. May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.

James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr

Acting General Secretary