State security failed; don't condemn Delta Force - Lawyer

The counsel for the arrested members of pro-NPP vigilante group, "Delta Force", lawyer Matthew Appiah says the public including the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) is too quick to condemn "Delta Force" in the uproar which happened at the Kumasi Circuit Court last Thursday.

According to him, apportioning blame to "Delta Force" for the upheaval is out of place as it was the sole responsibility of the state security to protect the court including the judge and the people at the court room.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, lawyer Matthew Appiah insisted the blame should be laid squarely at the failure of the state security as they could have determined reaction and control the crowd in such a crucial case.

“To me, whatever happened at the court, nobody should condemn 'Delta Force'. It is the failure of the state security; the blame should be laid squarely at the failure of the state security because how do you determine the reaction of the crowd at such a crucial case like this? Crowd control is everywhere and the police should have known this is a potential case,” he stressed.

He however urged the critics to disassociate politics from the incident just to score political points by blaming the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the party behind the commotion which took place at the Circuit court.

“Nobody should blame anybody and say that NPP is behind the incidence at the court; that shouldn’t be the case. Whose duty was it to make sure that the court was protected? And if anything happens, do you go and blame a political party for it? They have brought their people to court to face trial; the court protection is not the responsibility of the political party. It is the police that should protect the court,” he argued.

He added that the IGP did well by admitting that the police did not do its work well to ensure peace and orderliness at the court; thus “if they had done the right thing, this thing should not have happened.”

“It should be the responsibility of the state security to make sure that the court, judge, the people who come to court and everybody is protected. That is why if you go to court, we have CWO who must make sure the judge is protected including the lawyers because our lives are at risk . . . the police should sit up,” he pointed out.