Military, police responsible for 7 out of 15 of 2020, 2024 election deaths - Interior minister

The Minister of the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, has stated that an investigation into the electoral violence that was seen during the 2020 and 2024 general elections has shown that security officers were responsible for nearly 50% of the deaths experienced during the elections.

According to him, the investigations showed that personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service were responsible for seven of the 15 deaths.

He indicated that the seven deaths were recorded during security operations aimed at restoring order at various polling and collation centres.

“The investigation established that three of the cases resulting in four deaths are traceable to the use of a firearm by armed police patrol teams.

“Military personnel were also found to be responsible for three of the cases resulting in the deaths of three persons when they intervened to restore calm to chaotic crowds,” he said at a press briefing on the government’s review of election violence cases on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

The minister also stated that eight out of the 15 deaths were recorded across the Bono East, Greater Accra, Bono, and Northern regions during the 2020 and 2024 elections, while seven were recorded in 2024 across the Central, Northern, Savannah, Bono East, and Ashanti regions.

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Aside from the deaths recorded, the minister also said that about 40 people sustained varying degrees of injuries during both election periods.

He said that the Odododiodio constituency in the Greater Accra Region recorded 15 of the total 40 injury cases, with Techiman South following with nine cases.

According to the Minister of the Interior, the electoral death records stemmed from 12 violent cases identified by the Special Investigation Task Force during its investigations.

He indicated that almost all of the 12 violent cases involved firearms used by party supporters during confrontations, as well as by security personnel as a crowd control measure.

“The circumstances of each case vary, but nearly all involve the use of firearms during confrontations between supporters of the two major political parties and instances where security personnel resorted to the use of live ammunition, 'warning shots' as a means of crowd control,” he said.

The minister, in his address, also stated that some procedural actions were overlooked in certain cases they investigated.

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He explained that the responsible persons either breached discipline or violated legally established requirements.

“The report took into account a number of incidents where some procedural actions were overlooked. There were instances of clear breaches of discipline, violations of legal requirements, and total neglect by officers who were either present or responsible for situations that required prompt and responsive actions.

“Investigation into one of the cases during the 2020 General Election at Odododiodio was completed. The Attorney General is currently prosecuting three persons who are standing trial at the High Court, Criminal Division, Accra,” he added.

BAI/AE

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