What Akufo-Addo said in 2015 about the police attacking unarmed citizens during protests

Amid the ongoing #OccupyJulorbiHouse movement, which aims to address illegal mining activities, locally known as Galamsey, and other issues in the country, a tweet from the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has resurfaced on X following reports of police attacks on some protestors.

In the tweet dated September 17, 2015, the President, who was then the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), expressed concerns about how the Ghana Police Service sometimes mistreats unarmed citizens during demonstrations.

He stated that protestors should not be handled roughly for exercising their rights, emphasising that such actions by the police should be a thing of the past.

His tweet read: “Brute force by the police against unarmed citizens exercising their constitutional rights should be a thing of the past. #NewVotersRegisterNow.”

In July, Democracy Hub announced its intention to hold a three-day demonstration from September 21 to September 23, 2024, at the Revolutionary Square.

The demonstration seeks to address critical issues affecting the country, including unemployment, rising poverty, state capture, corruption, and others.

The #OccupyJulorbiHouse protest has led to the arrest of some protestors.

On Day 2 of the #StopGalamseyNow demonstration, some members of the demonstration hub group were arrested, with the police claiming that the individuals were being violent.

Additionally, a 62-year-old woman and an 8-year-old minor were also arrested, but they were later released.

The Ghana Police Service faced heavy criticism from netizens on Twitter, formerly known as X, for attacking citizens who were exercising their constitutional rights.

Below is Akufo-Addo’s tweet from September 17, 2015:

Brute force by the police against unarmed citizens exercising their constitutional rights, shd be a thing of the past. #NewVotersRegisterNow

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) September 17, 2015