Police rule out political killings

The Ghana Police Service says the killing of two ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters in the aftermath of the party’s massive electoral defeat to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is not politically motivated.

According to the police, the deaths of the NDC supporters, namely Kwame Owusu, 31, in Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region and Ayuba Akakpo, a head porter at Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region, could not be linked to politics.

Chief Supt Francis Enor, the Sefwi Wiawso Divisional Commander, told on a radio station that the murder of Owusu, believed to be the nephew of Western Regional Minister Paul Evans Aidoo, had nothing to do with politics.

He said it was a fight between two people.

The Municipal Police Commander at Dunkwa-on-Offin Superintendent Dela Dzansi also debunked reports that the NPP members attacked and killed an NDC man, Ayuba.

He told Rainbow Radio in Accra that it was an argument between two friends that went bad.

He also appealed to the public to cease spreading falsehoods.

Owusu was allegedly stabbed to death by one Baffoe Bonney at Ewiase, near Sefwi Wiawso, on Sunday evening after some misunderstanding.

The police are currently working hard to apprehend Baffoe.

Last week, NDC National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, asked the party’s supporters to defend themselves from attacks by NPP supporters.

He was subsequently condemned by all, especially the police and the National Peace Council.

At a press conference, the NDC chairman said that following the party’s defeat on December 7, about 19 attacks had been launched on NDC supporters by supporters of the NPP and asked the leadership of the NPP to stop their supporters from attacking NDC supporters.

“The hooliganism is still continuing, people have been sacked from their homes, respect us a little, it’s not fair. The security agencies are doing well to bring peace to bear on our society but that does not prevent us from bringing to the attention of Ghanaians and the international community that these are criminal acts and must be stopped,” he said.

Skeptics believe the supposed attacks on NDC activists could be staged by members of the NDC for public sympathy.

They particularly mentioned the case of a comedian Ebenezer Osae Aryeh Wofa K, who claimed that he was attacked by NPP activists.

Pictures of the NDC activist have gone viral on social media.

He accused NPP supporters of assaulting him after NPP’s leader was declared winner of the election.

But some NPP activists on social media believe the actor is deceiving the general public just to get attention from President Mahama and some NDC leaders for financial gains.

A family member Ebenezer Osae Aryeh has told manassehazure.com that photos of his alleged attack by supporters of the NPP were fake.

The actor, who featured in a number of campaign ads of the governing NDC, is said to have been attacked after the NPP’s victory.

“I’m 300 percent sure that the said attack is fake,” the source, who does not want to be named, said.

The family source said, “As far as we are concerned, no attack happened in the house here. And if he was attacked elsewhere and was taken to the hospital, at least one family member would have been called. The first place we saw those pictures was on Facebook,” the source added.

The family source said all attempts by family members, including Wofa K’s mother, to get any answers from him have failed to yield any results.

“He would not talk to anybody. He locked himself up in the room and when his mother knocked he did not open. Ask Dela Coffie and those sharing the pictures on Facebook which hospital he was treated? If he was really attacked would he not be in the hospital at least for some time? Why are the photographs not taken at the hospital but in the room somewhere?”