Chiefs urged to lead fight against mob action

The National House of Chiefs has condemned the gruesome murder of an army Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama with a call on chiefs to lead the fight against all forms of lawlessness, in particular mob action, in the country.

“The National House of Chiefs is concerned about the increasing resort with impunity to the administration of instant justice on suspects, many of whom turn out to be innocent people. The House is appalled and condemns in the strongest terms the brutal murder of Capt Maxwell Adam Mahama at Denkyira Obuasi in the Central Region. We wish to call on all parties to exercise restraint while the security agencies undertake thorough investigations into the despicable act,” the chiefs said in a statement.

The House reminded all Ghanaians that taking the law into their own hands, especially visiting brutal acts on defenseless fellow human beings, is not a civilised way of dealing with issues and advised, therefore, that at all times, no matter how trying, people should allow the state security agencies to act in their collective interest.

“Attacking and killing someone on mere suspicion make our society unsafe and expose each one of us at grave risk,” added the chiefs.

According to the chiefs, society in recent times is witnessing too much lawlessness. “The frequency of lawless behaviour, the impunity with which such behaviours are carried out, and the fact that most of the culprits escape punishment, seem to portray lawless behaviour as part of our way of life. There have been attacks on state institutions and personnel and we have even witnessed attacks on police stations,” the House bemoaned.

The chiefs believe: “All these barbarism occur because of lack of collective will on the part of government and state institutions and citizens alike in enforcing law and order, thus violence is beginning to and appears to be the only means we have for enforcing a sense of social order,” adding: “The killing of Captain Mahama is a wake-up call and we must act before the situation gets out of hand.”

The House, therefore, urged security and allied institutions to strictly and expeditiously enforce the law in order to prevent the country from sliding into anarchy.

“Every town and village in our country has a chief and so we must accept the responsibility for ensuring that even criminals, including thieves, who are caught in the act, are handed over to the law enforcement agencies. This is the norm in all civilised societies and it must become part of our culture,” the chiefs added.

Captain Maxwell Mahama was lynched by irate youth of Denkyira-Obuasi on Monday, 29 May on suspicion that he was an armed robber after some group of people he asked for directions spotted a pistol on him.

The death of the soldier has been widely condemned across the country.