Ghana Police attacked 'vandals'

Ghana Police attacked 'VANDALS' of the University of Ghana again!!

News report via http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201304/104408.php and

several others on 13 April, 2013 that the Ghana Police Service has arrested over

hundred Commonwealth Hall students of the University of Ghana for heralding their

Hall Week celebration with a public gathering without prior approval from the

police service is depressing but not surprising. The Police action is only a

rehash of what they did to Vandals of Commonwealth Hall on the 24th March 2007 for

the same reasons. My response then, written on 26 March 2007 and published by the

Daily Graphic has been reproduced here unedited as appropriate response to the

current development.

‘24TH MARCH, POLICE BRUTALITIES’

My heart bleeds and aches with excessive anguish and pain as the unfortunate news of

Police brutalities against peaceful and unarmed Vandals trickled in yesterday. It is

indeed very disturbing and quiet worrying, how the Police Service, which is suppose

to be a lawful state institution charged to ensure the safety of law abiding

citizens could be so mean and lawless. Instead of ensuring orderliness the Police

rather became an obstruction and stood in the way of peace, public sanity and

serenity.

History recalls countless instances where very despicable and unprofessional

tendencies of the Ghana Police has led to the death and maiming of innocent citizens

in this country. However, the unwarranted and unprovoked attacks of 24th March 2007

on Commonwealth Hall Students is unique in the sense that, it is the first time

students who had gone on float to sensitize the public about malaria prevention have

been subjected to untold brutality at the hands of the Ghana Police Service. We have

every cause to believe that yesterdays attack was premeditated in line with a sworn

vendetta of the police against Ghanaian students in general but Commonwealth

Students in Particular.

We Vandals wish to make it categorically clear to Government that when law enforcers

of the land who decide to be lawless are left to go unpunished under a democratic

dispensation, lawful citizens, in this case Vandals, are left with very limited

options; the best of which is to defend ourselves. Commonwealth Hall Students shall

not allow themselves to be added to the list of senseless police killings as the

nation has witnessed in the May 9th stadium Disaster, the Dansoman and Kotobabi cold

blooded murders.

Fellow Vandals, let not lose sight of one important fact, that in the face of

imminent danger some of our colleagues made the loudest statements with their lives

by defying the blazing guns of the Police to the rescue of arrested Vandals.

Yesterday the Ghana Police was able to disperse us, bruise our ego and pride, but

let this not be misconstrued as cowardice on our part. One fact is certain that,

Vandals can always take care of themselves, and we have amply demonstrated this, and

once again we shall rise above this gusty storm. We are Vandals and by the power of

our minds we shall prevail over all the arms and ammunitions of the Ghana Police

Service. If the Police Service took us for a bunch of nonentities it only goes to

portray their level of ignorance of the times in which we live.

Vandals, the unfortunate outcome of yesterday’s float dubbed “Alhaji” is evocative

of the Tsnaman Square gunning down of students in China and the 1948 Christiansburg

Castle crossroads shootings.

Last but not the least, Vandals, while we are nursing our physical or psychosomatic

injuries and preparing for the next line of action the greatest harm we can do to

ourselves is to be oblivious of the significance of this period. I wish you speedy

recovery, however, be rest assured that by any means necessary we shall exact

justice and vindication.....

Issued on 26 March 2007 by

Akyena Brantuo Benjamin

Former President of the JCR-COMMONWEALTH HALL

University of Ghana, Legon

CC The Minister of Education

The Inspector General of Police

The National Union of Ghana Students

The Vice Chancellor, University Of Ghana

The Hall Master Commonwealth Hall

The Old Vandals Association

The Dean of Students University of Ghana, Legon

The Students Representative Council, University Of Ghana

The Jcr President Commonwealth Hall

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