Vigilante groups must be disbanded - NPP MP

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso South constituency Ben Abdalla Bandah, has suggested that the various vigilante groups in the country be disbanded if they have finished serving their purposes of formation.

The Legislator explained that these groups were set up during the electioneering to protect ballot boxes from being stolen by opponents of political parties.

He pointed out that these groups be disbanded if they have served their purposes of policing ballot boxes.

The vigilante groups of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been accused of causing mayhem in the country ever since the Akufo-Addo’s government took over power.

Speaking on Ultimate Breakfast Show with Lantam Papanko, Mr Bandah further suggested that the groups be disbanded if they will be a menace to the country.

He indicated that people can be allowed to form associations in as much as their activities do not jeopardize the country saying groups can be considered illegal if they are formed to commit offences.

‘My beef would be that if the group is set up to commit illegalities or seem to be continuously committing illegalities, then that group must be disbanded. These vigilante groups were formed for a purpose, for campaigning, for protection of ballot boxes, to provide adequate security, we hear all kinds of stories that ballot boxes are stolen, so if you are political party which would want to protect the integrity and sanctity of the ballot boxes, form a group of this nature.

There is nothing wrong with that, but the moment they decide to take the law into their owns, that is where I have a problem, these groups were formed for the sole purposes of the elections and the election is over, then probably it is legitimate and proper that these groups are disbanded, unless they have other roles to perform apart from assisting the political parties in the elections era,’ he suggested.

Mr Bandah said they could be re-organised in the next elections.

Commenting on the Kumasi Circuit Court raid by 8 members of the Delta Force, he retorted ‘what happened in the court room was unfortunate, no reasonable person should condone that,… what they did is condemnable, reprehensible and unwarranted attack on the judiciary’.

He said the conviction which is part of their records now matters more than the money they were slapped with to pay.

The MP indicated that the punishment serves as a deterrent to others who would want to take the laws into their own hands.

He called on the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to dialogue with members of the party’s vigilante groups to address their grievances.