Politicization of crime emboldens criminals; stop it! – Awuku

National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) Sammi Awuku has vehemently condemned what he describes as the politicization of crime in the wake of the recent arrest of the suspects behind the kidnapping of two Canadian ladies in Kumasi.

According to him, the politicization of crime emboldens a criminal to continue to perpetrate crime knowing that one political party or the other will come to his defence whenever he’s caught.

Moments after the news of the arrest of Seidu Mba by security operatives in a rescue exercise of the Canadian nationals on Wednesday, the issue took a political twist with social media being awash with claims that the suspect is a known NPP supporter and a member of the party’s militia group, Delta Force. But the group has since denied him in a statement released Thursday.

The leading opposition party NDC held a press conference on Thursday insisting that Seidu who’s said to be the ringleader of the kidnappers is an NPP member and even went ahead to produce an audio interview the suspect is alleged to have had with a Kumasi based station which he stated he is an NPP member.

The NPP has also made a series of claims alleging that the suspect is a known NDC member and has even alleged that the embattled NDC Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has bought Seidu Mba a Range Rover vehicle and has been seen on countless times around senior NDC officials.

But Sammi Awuku speaking to host Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM condemned the unnecessary politicization of the issue, stressing that crime is crime and should be treated as such devoid of political colorization.

“If an armed robber comes to attack you in the night he doesn’t ask you to show your party card, whether you’re NPP or NPP that does not matter to him, he goes ahead and commits the crime. I plead with the youth on both sides of the political divide and communicators of both the ruling party and the opposition NDC that crime has no colour. We shouldn’t let the politicization of crime create a fertile ground for a criminal to perpetuate crime and later clothe his bad deeds with a political party so that depending on which party he aligns himself with, it’s supporters will defend him with the other side attacking.

He added: “This practice if not stopped will continue to embolden criminals. If anyone commits a crime let’s judge the person based on the content of his or her character and not the political party affiliation.”