Troubling incidents of violence, lawlessness since Mahama’s election

Since President John Dramani Mahama took over, several cases of lawlessness and, in some cases, violence have been recorded in parts of the country.

These incidents have escalated since the general elections on December 7, 2024, with many of those wreaking havoc across the country linked to the NDC party.

Despite these happenings, authorities have yet to issue a statement condemning these troubling events or act decisively to put an end to them. This appears to have further emboldened those responsible.

But who is truly in charge? Does the responsibility lie with the president, considering that he told then-President Akufo-Addo (after the December 7 elections and before his swearing) that he was in charge and should take decisive action to halt the violence and lawlessness? Now that he has assumed power, will he stop the violence?

He noted that "transitions create an impression of [a] vacuum of power that makes some people act in their own parochial interest instead of national interest. I condemn that in no uncertain terms. However, since the current government is still in charge of this country, I urge them to get the security officers to act decisively on the current state of affairs."

The government has not properly responded to serious lawlessness, which features the siege of state offices and aggressive raids.

Post-election violence

Several incidents of violence were recorded in various parts of the country, with some alleged NDC supporters besieging offices of the Electoral Commission. These thugs unleashed violence by vandalising properties and setting them on fire.

Such incidents include the ransacking of the EC office in Tepa, where the facility was damaged, and the setting ablaze of the EC office in Damongo, Savannah Region, during the collation of results.

There were also reports of fire service officers being assaulted and their phones seized in the process.

In the Ayensuano District, the EC office at Asuboi was also set on fire by rampaging youth, believed to be NDC members, protesting the declaration of parliamentary results in favour of the NPP candidate.

In the Greater Accra Region, the collation centre for the Ablekuma North parliamentary election was ransacked, disrupting the collation and declaration of results. Since then, the EC has not been able to fully collate and declare the winner of the parliamentary election of that constituency.

Besieging state institutions

Another disturbing trend following the change in power was individuals said to be affiliated with the NDC unlawfully storming state institutions to besiege the offices and threaten the staff of those institutions.

The alleged NDC supporters stormed the Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNCL), attempting to besiege the premises. However, the timely intervention of a joint team of police and military brought the situation under control.

There was a standoff between the supporters and the security personnel, leading to them firing shots to disperse the crowd.

At the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) headquarters, suspected NDC supporters attempted to take control of the facility, a move that could have disrupted operations at one of the country's key economic institutions.

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Forestry Commission, and Metro Mass Transit were all reportedly targeted by NDC-affiliated groups attempting to seize control.

The Ministry of Roads and Highways was also besieged by scores of NDC supporters protesting Godfred Amoo's appointment as the ministry's Chief Director. They argued that his appointment violated directives from President Mahama's transition team, which ordered a halt to payments, recruitments, and promotions during the transition period.

At the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), another irate group stormed the state institution, protesting against the appointment of Mr. Anthony Sarpong as the acting Commissioner General. The main issue was that he was not a party man.

At the Head Office of the Bui Power Authority, a group of youths identifying themselves as supporters of the ruling NDC demanded all newly employed management and staff vacate their positions.

The leader of the group, captured lamenting in a viral video, accused the management of squandering the authority's resources.

"They are sharing money among themselves, appointing themselves as directors who misuse the funds. They travel excessively. About two or three weeks ago, people were promoted or given jobs. Why do we need employment? We employ people to make our country better. We cannot employ people who make our country worse.

"We are here to tell anyone employed, from management to security staff or whoever it is. We are telling them that, now our government is in power. As of yesterday, I'm sure some of you are aware that we got a new energy minister. We are saying that all those people must pack their bags and leave," he said.

He added, "We are fed up. So, all of them should pack their things and leave. We are saying that enough is enough; they should pack their things and go. Tell the receptionist that if she wants to be part of them, we will make sure she leaves here right now. Not even Mahama can stop us because the country belongs to all of us."

Locking up offices

In Koforidua, some alleged NDC supporters stormed several public offices, forcing employees to pack their belongings and vacate the premises.

Among the affected offices were:

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Regional National Service Secretariat (NSS), the School Feeding Program, the National Lottery Authority (NLA), the New Juaben Municipal Assembly, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The intruders reportedly locked the offices, leaving workers stranded and causing significant disruption to public services.

Employees at the Tema branch of the Ghana Cocoa Board in Accra were denied entry to the building.

The Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) became focal points for the discontented NDC supporters, who called for the ousting of political appointees.

One of the aggrieved protestors who went about locking up some offices, Kwame Dankwa, told journalists: "We do not want any appointee of the previous administration to remain in office".

"As you can see we didn't cause any commotion, we don't have any problem with anybody, we came here to perform a task. However, if we come back or get information that they are doing something different, that will be a different story," Dankwa stated.

Basintale stake out at airport

Malik Basintale, Deputy National Communications Officer of the NDC and now CEO of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), reportedly stormed the Kotoka International Airport to prevent some former government appointees from travelling out of the country.

Seizing properties

The former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ho, Divine Kwabla Bosson, suffered at the hands of some alleged NDC supporters when they besieged his residence, locking his wife and children inside the apartment.

He claims that supporters of the NDC confined his wife due to their belief that she was trying to take government assets from their home.

Warranted/Unwarranted Raids

Lord Commey, former Director of Operations at the Jubilee House, had his vehicles seized following a midnight raid at his Dansoman residence by some men in civilian and military uniforms. The vehicles were later returned to him.

Ken Ofori-Atta, the former Minister of Finance, also had his Cantonment residence raided by a team of armed security operatives led by Richard Jakpa, the Director of Special Operations at the National Security. The house was ransacked per CCTV footage that was later released.

The private residence of Dr. Ernest Addison, the former Bank of Ghana Governor, was also raided by National Security operatives.

About 15 soldiers, arriving in three separate vehicles and wielding rifles, forcefully entered the premises.

Upon arrival, the operatives swiftly disabled the CCTV system before demanding that Dr. Addison lead them to supposed "vaults" hidden within the house.

His residence was also ransacked.

However, according to Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, the operation was legally sanctioned by his office as part of investigations.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews and monitored by GhanaWeb on Thursday, March 20, 2025, he explained that the operation was conducted within the legal framework of the country.

"We take responsibility for the search, and we want to make it clear that those searches and the mode in which they were done were done in accordance with law.

"Warrants were procured and the warrants were used to conduct those searches," he noted.

Looting warehouses

In Tamale, individuals vandalised the offices of Social Welfare, Community Development, and Veterinary Services, resulting in the theft of valuable items such as furniture, official records, and critical equipment.

At the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, youth believed to be NDC supporters damaged some property and carted food supplies reportedly intended for community distribution from the warehouse.

Council of State election violence

Chaotic scenes and violence marred the Council of State elections in the Ashanti Region as a group of unidentified thugs stormed the election centre, disrupting the sorting and counting of ballots.

Reports indicate that the assailants forcibly entered the premises, overturning tables, destroying ballot boxes, and dispersing voting materials, which led the Electoral Commission (EC) officials to suspend the process.

Scores of people, including journalists, were injured by the unknown thugs who invaded the polling station.

The list is extensive, with many more violent incidents yet to be reported, but is there an end in sight?

President Mahama must take his own advice and "act decisively on the current state of affairs."

MAG/SEA

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