Asawase killings: NDC man promises to wage war on perpetrators

A leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Abdul Aziz Mohammed has promised to wage relentless war against perpetrators of the heinous crime resulting in the killing of seven innocent Ghanaians in Asawase in the Ashanti Region recently.

The 'Zongo Commando', who is aspiring to lead the Zongo Caucus in NDC, said he would wage the war to bring justice to bear.

He said following widespread condemnation of the heinous crime, government has since not released the investigative report commissioned which was submitted to the executive for action.

"The government is pretending nothing untoward happened. We will wage relentless war against the loud silence until the perpetrators are brought to book. We must allow justice to prevail in this country", he said

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, the tough talking Zongo activist said, he was particularly surprised about the silence of the Vice President Dr. Mahmudu Bawumia.

"The Vice President has failed to demonstrate leadership in seeking for justice for these innocent Ghanaians. He ought to know as Chairman of the Police Council that what happened, if not addressed properly could happen anywhere", he emphasized.

According to Abdul Aziz Mohammed, nothing could be precious than human lives, and losing seven lives, meant a lot, therefore the issue should not be swept under carpet.

"The government must make public the report so that those who will face the law, subject to the crime committed do that, without anyone escaping from the justice network as provided in the laws of the country", he said.

Meanwhile the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak, had earlier announced that he would be seeking to drag the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah before Parliament over the report on the seven Asawase youth who were killed by police.

The Committee that was set up to probe the matter has since presented its report to the office of the Vice President, but it has not been made public yet.

According to Muntaka Mubarak, who is also one of the senior members of parliament, the Regional Minister must take steps to engage the Asawase community on the findings of the probe, an activity that has not been conducted so far.

Speaking in an earlier interview Muntaka Mubarak, Member of Parliament for the Asawase Constituency, said the Minister must appear before the House of Parliament to provide clarity on the findings of the committee as a means of maintaining peace in the community.

“I have sighted the report, I know the content, but it is not my responsibility to put out to the general public. That is why I was calling the Minister to come before the House to tell the House what is delaying the discussion or the putting into the general public the content of the report,” he added.

Protests over killing of 7 Zongo youths

In July 2018, hundreds of youth from the Zongo community trooped to Kumasi Central Mosque to register their displeasure over the killings of some seven youth the police claimed were armed robbers.

The Police in a media briefing on the death of the youth said the young men were killed because they were armed robbers who exchanged fire with them.

However, relatives and friends of the seven , accused the police of planting guns to frame the deceased persons after they had been gruesomely killed.

They insisted the seven men were not robbers, and yet were painfully killed.

The Zongo community in Kumasi has in the past complained about perceived stereotyping that has led to the killing of multiple Zongo youth.

The leadership of the Zongo community in the Ashanti Region vowed to rise against such killings.

5 out of seven buried so far

Indications are that five out of the seven deceased Zongo youth, suspected to be victims of the police brutality have already been buried.

Although peace has returned to the community following series of engagements, many fear, any attempt to sweep the issue under carpet could spark violence in the area.

The 'Zongo Commando' for instance has insisted that "justice delayed is justice denied, that is why we are calling on the Vice President to release the report and the justice system deal with the matters conclusively", he added.