Security blammed for Tamale riots

Front Page: Daily Graphic, February 26, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia, Tamale.
THE Northern Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Sumani Nayina, said yesterday that the failure of the regional security forces to deal with perpetrators of crime has contributed to the escalation of violence in the region.
He said victims and perpetrators of violence would decide to take the law into their own hands when they realised that the perpetrators of violent crimes were set free and their investigations truncated without any cause.
“As I speak the people have lost confidence in the security forces in the region,” he told a government delegation visiting areas of the recent violence which resulted in the death of one person and injuries to many others.
The government’s fact-finding delegation is led by the Defence Minister, Lt Gen J. H. Smith, and the Minister of the Interior, Mr Cletus Avoka.
Mr Nayina, whose address at the residence of the deceased’s house was greeted with applause by the numerous youth and elders who had gathered there, challenged the security services to “use the recent violence to redeem their image”.
The acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson; the Army Commander, Major-Gen Samuel Odotei, and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) boss, Mr Kofi Portuphy, among others from National Security and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) formed part of the delegation.
Mr Nayina said the culture of impunity must be a thing of the past as the Mills government would not tolerate lawlessness.
He said the government would not protect anyone whether a National Democratic Congress (NDC) sympathiser or a New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporter.
He said anyone who took the law into his or her hands would have to face the consequences of his/her actions.
During the tour, it was realised that the violence and attacks on houses were selective as most houses were left untouched while perceived strong activists of either parties were targeted.
The house of Bawah Gafaru, the man who allegedly called into a radio station and threatened that Tamale would be reduced to Liberia if the NDC supporters did not take care, and that of his father, Mr Bawah Baako Alhassan, who is also the Metropolitan Director of NADMO, were completely razed down.
The stepmother of Gafaru was severely injured after she was attacked with machetes and a metal inserted in her private parts.
Selected houses believed to belong to mostly NPP sympathisers were razed down with fewer houses of NDC sympathisers also burnt.
The burning of the houses is suspected to be a retaliatory venture after NPP sympathisers led by Bawah Gafaru, currently on the run, shot and killed an NDC sympathiser.
The Interior Minister, Mr Avoka, said the government attached great importance to peace in the country, which would enable it to deliver on its promises and bring development and jobs to the people.
He said violence in the northern part of the country was a source of worry to the government and urged all parties involved in disputes to use the due process to settle them.
He reminded Ghanaians that the government had only four years to deliver on its promises and urged Ghanaians not to distract the government with conflicts.
He said the government was determined to bring justice to the people by ensuring that anyone who committed any offence was dealt with irrespective of one’s chieftaincy lineage, political affiliation or family leanings.
For his part, Lt Gen Smith challenged the youth to embrace peace and unity to facilitate speedy development in the area.
He said the government had outlined a number of development projects for the three northern regions but if the youth indulged in violence, it would be difficult for those projects to be implemented.
A spokesperson for the deceased family, Mr Baba Salifu, urged the government to deal with the perpetrators otherwise the youth would continue to harbour ill-feelings and that could degenerate into another violence.
The government delegation paid courtesy calls on the Choggu Naa, Naa Alhassan Salifu, the Dakpema Naa, Naa Mohammedu Dawuni and the Gukpegu Gbanglana, Alhaji Alhassan Ziblim.
In all nine houses were burnt at Gumbihini, five at Choggu and four at Nyohini while five vehicles, five motorbikes and four bicycles were destroyed with 399 persons being displaced.