It was common knowledge that Delta 13, the band of muscled, unemployed youngmen closely affiliated with the ruling NPP, will walk free. It was a foregone conclusion. They were not going to be held accountable; they were not going to pay a high price for brazenly and arrogantly breaking the law.
And, Ghanaians knew Delta 13 were going to get a sweetheart deal from their NPP mentors, but were helpless to do anything about it, except to throw their hands in the air in frustration and go about their daily lives.
As reports have it, a district court judge in Kumasi, Judge Korkor Achaw Owusu on Thursday imposed a laughable fine of 1800 Ghana cedis on each of the thirteen members of the group who had been charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit rioting.
The defendants reportedly signed a bond of good behavior for twelve months. Just last month serious charges against the group were inexplicably dropped.
There is no denying the fact that the invisible hands of the NPP are all over the verdict. Whoever thought the NPP government was going to teach the thugs of Delta Force a lesson so that it serves as a deterrent to others was seriously mistaken.
These facts are clear in light of the stunning verdict: there was no way the NPP government was going to throw the Delta 13 behind bars and let them cool their heels in cold, damp cells.
It is abundantly clear to anyone with knowledge of the ties between the NPP and its vigilante groups that the party is not prepared to take the risk of jailing the its so called protectors and suffer reputational damage among its alpha soup of vigilante groups.
After all, these groups have over time stuck their necks out for the party; intimidating the party’s political opponents and keeping wayward NPP party members in check. Why alienate those who do your dirty work? Keep them happy.
Despite contrary arguments, the NPP has demonstrated near paralysis in all cases involving Delta Force, its prominent vigilante group. What is galling is the fact that the party was all over former President John Mahama when he pardoned the Monte 3 last year.
They called him all kinds of names under the sun, and now the NPP turns around and does the same thing. Which goes to tell you how hypocritical the whole drama is.
The NPP may deny accusations of leniency towards the Delta 13 all it wants, but Ghanaians know the party is beholden to its vigilante groups and would do anything and everything to protect them even at the cost of belittling our laws.