Is one crime another's punishment?

Tamale is a metropolis comprising of many tribes, but its main indigenes are the Dagombas. Dagombas are the main settlers of Tamale with some minority tribes around them. The main chiefs of Tamale are the Nyab Dakpema, Nyab Gukpenaa, and Nyab Buglana. These chiefs have their main functions, duties, and responsibilities as long as discipline, law, and order are concerned. Indeed, there's no gain saying that; they are development agents somehow and also law enforcement facilitators in varied forms.

When crimes were committed hitherto, these chiefs and their sub-chiefs were brought into the picture to cooperate and collaborate its redress. In fact, they even expedite actions sometimes even more than the security forces. They do this bearing in mind to instill discipline in our societies. That notwithstanding, chiefs usually and almost always allowed the security agencies to do their constitutionally mandated duties without interferences.

It is indeed not unfortunate to have the caliber of chiefs who do shunned on moral decadence or crimes against peace loving people. Therefore, they always rase to the occasion of disciplining wayward youths through some punishments, most often fines or physical discipline(even though it is human rights abuse)

Of recent development in Changli, a center of Tamale, and not even a suburb. How can one apply hooliganism to hooliganism when there are several ways of dealing with recalcitrants of same without violating the law as law enforcers? That's where the question of, "is one crime another's punishment?" comes in. Certainly big no in the phase of science of law. You can't punish Dawuni for Adama's crime and reciprocity.

A few hoodlums have committed a crime, that is an assault against a police officer. That was an enormous crime. But does that call for the punishment of those who have no control over these few hooligans? No. So, why would the police force evaded Changli and meted out their spleen on innocent people yet no one seems to condemn it, not even the chiefs and Daasa.

Astonishingly, a report was made to a police woman over a theft. Then she went there to arrest the culprit by way of discharging her duty. Apparently, the culprit has a name and a house she leaves, which was why the police could locate her. For an obvious bridge of law by some neighbors, it could have taken the police to even raided that house, cause their arrest to fish out those hoodlums who manhandled the police officer to a point of dastardly beating her into coma. That was indeed grievous. But does that answer to the mass beatings and destroy of properties of innocent people? Maybe, those who perpetrated the crime have since absconded and enjoying their peace in their hideouts.

To me, the police force should have activated the mode of arrest above to possibly request for the perpetrators of this heinous crime or got those arrested prosecuted if they refused to mention them. This I believe could have preventably solved two things: fishing out the culprits and also avoiding the lawlessness by the invasion.

I understandably believe, this could have avoided the lawlessness the police force had impugned against the innocent masses over the lawlessness by a few hoodlums. Not a wholesale violence action against the innocent inhabitants who have no any form of idea over what happened.

Also, I know if the police had conducted a thorough and swift investigation, it could arrived at arresting those culprits to uproot such bad nuts in our societies.

Please, I'm aware you can do better next time. Nobody's crime is another one punishment. My area hoodlums could be the next perpetrators and I could be the next innocent victim. What is wrong is wrong; just as we condemn and pray for these hoodlums to be arrested, let's equally condemn the action of the police force.

By Abukari Majeed

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