A TOTAL of 22 witnesses appeared before the government committee tasked to conduct public enquiry into the recent Ejura mayhem, which claimed two lives and caused injuries to others.
Justice George Kingsley Koomson of the Court of Appeal, Chairman of the Committee, who made the disclosure, indicated that out of the total number, 19 appeared before the committee in public and three others appeared in-camera due to security reasons.
He said the committee officially kick-started it’s hearing on July 5, 2021 and ended on Friday, July 16, 2021, pointing out that prior to the sittings at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi, the committee had visited Ejura to sensitise the people.
“On the first day, the committee members visited Ejura to sensitise the chiefs and people of Ejura about the mandate of the committee and the need for them to patronise it,” he said, adding that the committee also visited the Dagomba Chief of Ejura.
Evidence Received
According to him, 555 pictures in soft copies, 117 videos evidence, eight documentary evidence, two written statements, two physical evidence in the nature of spent cartridges and one audio evidence were received from people.
Justice Koomson announced that the committee used three days to review the evidence obtained, stressing that in general, 12 days were used by the committee members to examine the evidence at hand.
Massive Patronage
According to him, the committee members, including himself, was satisfied by the number of people from Ejura, who took time to travel all the way to Kumasi and cooperated with the committee to undertake its core mandate.
“The people of Ejura duly participated and cooperated to make the committee’s work successful. At least, seventeen out of the 22 people that appeared before the committee in Kumasi were the people from Ejura and that is encouraging,” the judge said.
He also remarked that family members of the injured and deceased people as well as some of the demonstrators, appeared before the committee.
Promises Fair Report
Justice Koomson assured that the three-member committee would work hard and come out with a “fair report” that would help prevent similar occurrences in the future.
According to him, the committee has no special preference for anybody or group in Ejura, indicating that they (committee) have been formed with the clear mandate to serve the interest of the state and its people, without any fear or favour.
Cautions Youth
Justice Koomson, later on in an interview with journalists in Kumasi, cautioned the youth in Ejura and the country in general, to desist from using violence and lawless means to drum home their grievances, saying “always embrace peace.”
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi