Criminologist, Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah has chided the police for failing to rein in on some New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters allegedly seizing state institutions across the country.
He says “there is no excuse or justification for police indolence in enforcing the laws of this country against so-called political criminals.”
Speaking to Prince Minkah, host of Joy FM’s Midday News Tuesday, the Dean of Central University Law Faculty said the solution to ending the spate of attacks by party footsoldiers is “stern law enforcement by the police.”
Reports of some NPP supporters driving workers of some institutions made the round just after the party was declared the winner of the 2016 general elections.
In the latest incident, thugs believed to be members of the NPP’s Invincible Forces invaded the Passport Office in Accra two days after the investiture of the President demanding to take over the security of the place.
Related Article: Rampaging Tamale NPP youth invade, lock up NHIS, YEA, NADMO offices
The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and National Disaster Management Office (NADMO) in Sagnerigu district in Tamale were put under lock and key. The workers were barred from entering their offices. It took the presence of Tamale police officers for sanity to prevail.
The Rattray Park in Kumasi was also besieged by at least 30 youth who identified themselves as members of the NPP Patriots, a group said to be part of the party’s security wing, Invincible Forces.
These incidents are a playback of what happened in 2008 when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the election. Supporters of NDC went on rampage driving out workers believed to be NPP members.
NPP General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahene recounted to Joy News that the acts perpetrated by some NDC youth in 2008 and 2009 were “quite unfortunate.”
“What happened in 2008 was in bad taste and some NPP members were even massacred in broad daylight,” he said.
According to him, Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu catalogued names of perpetrators and submitted to the police but no arrest was effected.
He has entreated NPP supporters to desist from exacting retribution because the political table has turned in their favor.
The Police have not arrested any NPP supporter since the start of the attacks. They say they are aware promising not to leave “any loose end on.”
But Professor Attafuah said the police have to step up their activities if they want to stop these repeated incidents that crop up after a change of power.
“I think that the practice whereby the police turn a proverbial blind eye to criminality encourages the behavior and helps to perpetuate this cyclical repetition when one party is replaced by the other,” he said.
He called on President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to reiterated to the NPP youth across the country his earlier admonish to “temper jubilation with moderation.”
“The President must use his extensive network of relationships available to him to call the supporters to order…[and to promise] them that there will be an immediate material improvement in their economic circumstances,” he added.
