Police inability to arrest NPP thugs shows their weakness – Obiri Boahen

The Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen says the Police must be blamed for the impunity in the lawlessness of political party supporters in the country.

Speaking on State of Affairs on GHOne TV Wednesday, the Deputy Scribe of the ruling party, NPP said there is no point holding the NPP responsible for the widespread post-election violence by rampaging youth, when the “NPP has made it abundantly clear that we don’t encourage lawlessness.”

Persons believed to be supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), from the party’s private security arm, Invincible Forces, launched attacks on state institutions and seized some state assets while harassing persons they suspected were appointees of the John Mahama administration, after the NPP assumed the reins of power.

Although, President Akufo-Addo has condemned the attacks and called on the police to deal with lawbreakers during his maiden State of the Nations address in parliament on Tuesday, 21 February, the NDC said the president’s call for cessation on the lawlessness has come too late, and thus the posture of Mr. Akufo-Addo made him appear more as a leader of a vigilante group than the commander in-chief of the armed forces.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the NDC said: “We intend to view this belated call by President Nana Akufo-Addo as a genuine effort on his part to rein in the rampaging and marauding members of his party and it is our expectation that his gesture will restore the peace Ghanaians enjoyed under the NDC. It is our hope that the president is not only paying lip service to his call for the IGP, Asante-Apeatu, and his men to crack the whip and deal mercilessly with all forms of lawlessness.

“In this regard, we wish to request the president to disband and demobilise his illegal vigilante group, the Invincible Forces, with immediate effect.”

But in a reaction to the security problems that surged shortly after the President was sworn in, Nana Obiri Boahen maintained that the Police should rather be blamed for the disorder.

“The inefficiencies and weakness of the police Administration ought not to be visited on NPP as a political party. The alacrity with which they used in handling some cases; and go to Kumasi, Santasi, the speed they use in demolishing not less than over 20 or thirty containers in the midnight,why don’t they use that speed to arrest those who have taken the law into their hands? he questioned.