NCCE courts media support for disbandment of vigilantism

Mrs Josephine Nkrumah, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Monday called on the media and stakeholders to compliment the awareness activities of the commission towards the disbandment of Vigilantism in Ghana.

“We call on all political parties to commit to a process of disbanding Vigilantism in Ghana, the Issue of Vigilantism was a matter of urgency that Ghanaians should take serious in order to find a lasting solution,” she said.

Mrs Nkrumah stated during a launch of a report on engagements with political parties and other stakeholders on the menace of “Political Party Vigilantism”.

She said risks such as activities of the Vigilante groups as well as the weak institutional capacity pose a major threat to the 2020 presidential and Parliamentary elections.

She added that, largely in Ghana, Vigilantism has a negative connotation and has been ascribed to political party affiliated violence with total disregard to the rule of law which often infringes on the human rights of citizens of Ghana.

She mentioned that, unemployment and poverty is an economic factor for the formation of Vigilante groups and this should be looked at in order to resolve the issues of Vigilantism.

Vigilante or politically related violence has fuelled polarization in Ghana’s body politic and undermined the nation’s drive towards democratic maturity. She added.

The NCCE Chairperson said peacebuilding activities should emphasise on civic education and engagements as a strategy for securing a robust process and enhancing social cohesion.

She added that, a comprehensive job creation policy to address youth employment in Ghana would help dissolve the issues of Vigilantism in Ghana.

“I call on all of you to speak up against the practice of Vigilantism and also raise the awareness of the tenant of our constitution on democratic culture to help resolve Vigilantism in Ghana,” she added.