Separatists attacks: I disagree completely on calls for negotiations – Obiri Boahen

Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, lawyer Obiri Boahen has shot down calls being made on government to engage members of secession groups emerging from the Volta Region in a negotiation.

With the recent attacks staged by members of the separatist movement, some observers including security experts have impressed on government to call them to a table for negotiations.

But speaking in an interview with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese of Okay FM monitored by GhanaWeb, the NPP Deputy scribe shared his disagreement by pointing out that the calls for separation and the ensuing attacks unlike what is being experienced in other jurisdictions is criminal.

“I disagree completely. What is happening now is a crime, it is nothing like the Catalans and the incidents in Spain. This is not like Casamance Province in Senegal, it is not like what is happening in the English-Speaking area of Cameroon. This is a crime, commissioning of crime. Pure and simple.”

He explained that the leader of the Homeland Study Group which is leading the secession, Mr Charles Kudzordzi, also known as Papavi Hogbedetor, who hails from Keta is fighting a wrong course since the Keta area was never a part of the Trans Volta Togoland which became a part of Ghana after the 1956 plebiscite.

“Let me put it on record for Papavi and his people who are from Keta that; Keta has never formed part of the Trans Volta Togoland. It has never been a German colony. The German colonies which was divided between the Britain and France after the Second World War and later became a part of Ghana after the 1956 plebiscite, never included Keta. If they will speak of Hohoe and Ho that’s fine but Keta was not part.

Mr Obiri Boahen who has already accused the NDC of having a hand in the secessionist activities, said there is the need to question why the agitations for separation is only confined to the Volta Region since the former Western Togoland cuts across several areas of the country including parts of the Oti Region and other parts of the northern part of the country.

He however expressed happiness on the number condemnations that has come from leaders in the Volta Region and stressed that the call for a separation of the area is something that does not have the endorsement of the majority of the people in the area.