Sam George ‘cries’ for justice for Ayawaso West Wuogon violence victims after two years

Samuel Nartey George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram has criticized the Akufo-Addo government over its failure to deliver justice for the victims of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

Sam George in a Facebook post to mark two years of the incident said that the incident and events thereafter have left a big blot on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s presidency.

Sam George who described the incident as barbaric, stated that the security failed to execute their duty of protecting all persons who were present at the place where the incident occurred.

“Today, 31 January 2021 marks exactly two years since the sad and horrific incidents that characterized the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-elections. I had just gotten home around this time two years ago.”

“I had been assigned the role of an election monitor by the Party and accredited by the Electoral Commission. The barbaric action of agents of state security which led to the injury and maiming of innocent Ghanaian citizens remains a big blot on the presidency of Mr Akufo-Addo.”

“Even after setting up a Commission and rejecting almost all their findings in a white paper, the compensation to the eight injured citizens which was accepted by the government has still not been honoured. None of the perpetrators has been made to face justice. No matter how long it takes, justice would be served, someday.”

The Ayawaso by-election violence as it has come to be known occurred when masked men who paraded themselves as National Security officials assaulted civilians and fired gunshots.

One of the victims of the assault was Sam George who was captured on a video being abused by one of the masked men.

A commission of Inquiry chaired by Emile Short was set up to, among other things, “make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to the events and associated violence that occurred during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election”.

The commission after its sitting presented a report to the government. The government, however, rejected some recommendations made by the commission, noting that “the report failed to address the first and most critical of the terms of reference of the Commission”.

“The failure to do so disables the government from accepting in whole the findings of the commission.”