IGP storms Kumasi with anti-terrorism squad; declares war on vigilante groups

Ghana’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) has declared war against political vigilantism that has permeated the country’s body politics and threatening its security.

IGP, David Asante-Appeatu has arrived in the Ashanti Regional Capital, Kumasi with a special anti-terrorist squad to beef up security in the region warned miscreant riding on the back of political vigilante groups to cease forthwith, TV3’s William Evans-Nkum reports.

The latest move by the Police has been triggered by acts of criminality masterminded and executed by pro New Patriotic Party vigilante group, Delta Force which led to the escape of some 13 members of the group being prosecuted for assault and other offences.

“The Police service hereby declares a war on the act of vigilantism and all forms of mass disorder and disturbances,” the IGP, David Asante-Apeatu announced in Kumasi Saturday morning. Mincing no words, the IGP warned criminal characters who have formed various political vigilante groups to cause violence to cease forthwith as Police will deploy all available force to stamp out such groups.

“We shall employ al legitimate means available to us including dialogue, enforcement and enactment of laws… We shall clamp down on it [vigilantism] with all the force we can marshal,” Mr Asante-Appeatu stated. He asked persons who may be aggrieved for whatever situation to resort to due process to have their grievances addressed and not to adopt violence.

He condemned the last Thursday’s action by the Delta Force group which stormed the Kumasi Circuit Court where some of their members had been arraigned, and threatened the presiding judge after she had remanded the accused persons.

They group destroyed some court properties in the process. All the 13 escapees have since been re-arrested and are on prison remand pending investigations “This isolated incident by a group that who refer to itself as Delta Force in Kumasi is alien to our culture and criminal.

As a law enforcement agency, we are going to pursue our goal of bringing this phenomenon of vigilantism to an end,” the IGP stated