Proposed meeting to dialogue on political militia unnecessary – Prof Ahwoi

Local governance expert Professor Kwamena Ahwoi has described as unnecessary, president Nana Akufo-Addo’s call for the two major political parties in the country to meet to dialogue on disbanding their various ‘militia’ groups.

Prof Ahwoi argued both the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party did not consult each other in setting up their various groups, hence there is no need for them to meet and dialogue on how to disband their militia groups.

“I don’t think the meeting is necessary. The parties by themselves must abolish the vigilante groups,” he told TV3 last Saturday, adding “when you were setting it up, you didn’t call a meeting to set them up”.

Delivering his state of the nation address last Thursday, President Akufo-Addo proposed voluntary end to political militia, popularly referred to as political vigilantism, which has been threatening the country’s security.

He asked the leadership NDC and the NPP to meet this week and agree on appropriate measures to end the phenomenon which led to violent incidence in the last few years, with the latest being the shootings that led to the injury of at least six persons at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by election on January 31.

President Akufo-Addo said he would be forced to initiate legislation to end the operations of such violent groups if the voluntary disbandment fails.

Even before the meeting could be imitated former President Mahama has said the idea is too simplistic on the basis that the phenomenon has become complex and would thus require the input of experts and other players to end it.

He observed some members these violent milita groups have infiltrated the country’s security, for which reason the state must find ways to “delist the vigilantes from the security forces.”

Mahama’s party, the NDC has also requested that the security agencies are cleansed of the members of these militia groups.

These demands, Prof. Ahwoi said are genuine and must be addressed by removing all those persons absolved into the National Security irrespective of their political affiliation.

He however said as far as he was aware, the current government said it had removed those undesirable persons from the security agencies.

“My understanding is that large number of people they thought were undesirable were removed from the security agencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, he has agreed with suggestions that members of these militia groups are given some form of employment if the disbandment is to be successful.

“What were they doing before they were formed into vigilante groups? If they were in gainfully employment they should go back to what they were doing before they were converted into vigilantes. If they were not in gainfully employment, we should find something for them to do” based on their academic qualification, he suggested.