{"id":592912,"date":"2019-02-20T13:28:43","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T13:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"

Col. Michael Nana Opoku says gunshots were first fired from the NDC candidate's house as the SWAT team\u00a0encountered a hostile crowd gathering around the house.<\/p>

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Col. Michael Nana Opoku says gunshots were first fired from the NDC candidate’s house as the SWAT team\u00a0encountered a hostile crowd gathering around the house.<\/p>\n

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The Director of Operations at National Security is blaming a militia affiliated with the main opposition party for the violence that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in\u00a0Accra.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colonel Michael Opoku said one of the men arrested by the police is a known member of the Hawks, a militia linked to the National Democratic Congress.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you google for information of Hawks, you will see him\u2026I\u2019m told he is the chairman of the Hawks organisation\u201d, he told the Commission of Inquiry investigating the violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The controversial claim adds a new twist to what happened on 31 January 2016 after violence at a polling station at La Bawaleshie led to at least 15 injured, some through gunshots.<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to the narrative of the National Security Director, masked operatives together with a SWAT team stormed a house of the NDC parliamentary candidate suspecting an illegal possession and use of weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Col. Opoku said gunshots were first fired from this house as the SWAT team\u00a0encountered a hostile crowd gathering around the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

The security team abandoned the premises after arresting nine suspects in front of the house and aborted the mission without confirming the presence of arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But the counter-narrative in the media has been that a pro-government militia, Invincible Forces infamous for creating insecurity, caused the mayhem under the guise of being National Security operatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Government has been severely condemned for supervising growing insecurity and indulging its militias in causing public disorder.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Colonel, however, has revealed the pro-NDC militia, the Hawks, moved to Accra from Tamale in the Northern region and Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Director claimed they had intelligence on arms movement into the constituency ahead of the by-elections.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hawks in the past 48 hours have also been linked to a tragic shooting incident at the Ashanti region head office of the opposition NDC in Kumasi.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo: Tragic shooting happened at the NDC regional head office in the Ashanti region<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

While public attention has moved from NPP militias to NDC militias, the Colonel has pointed out, the Hawks\u2019 propensity for violence was at play during the Ayawaso West-Wuogon by-election.<\/span><\/p>\n

The masked men in intimidating security gear that stormed the constituency, he said was part of moves to assure voters\u00a0that\u00a0security was on top of their game.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while national security has called this activity confidence-building, a member of the Commission Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu has suggested, it was confidence-sapping.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n