Dr. Anyars supports Changli brutality victims, appeals for calm

New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for Tamale Central constituency and CEO of NaBCO, Dr. Barhama Anyars has appealed to residents of Changli to exercise restraint and allow due process to be followed in seeking justice for them.

According to him, the action by the police at the community was unfortunate and condemnable, but the rule of law must be followed. Dr. Anyars made the appeal when he visited Changli, Thursday morning to ascertain the extent of damage caused when police officers raid the community over the weekend.

He donated 20 bags of sugar and an amount of GHs 4,000 to be given to the affected persons and elders of the community. He also presented to an amount of GHs 4,000 to the family of a woman who has been admitted at the Tamale Teaching Hospital to cover her medical bills.

The woman was injured during the Saturday raid by the police and is currently admitted at the surgical ward of TTH.

On his part , Nyab Tamale Dakpema, Fuseini Bawa has also condemned the actions by the law enforcement agency (police) and the brutalities meted out to innocent citizens and call for investigations into the matter.

He entreated relevant authorities to take up the matter to ensure that people of Changli get justice. Police on April 18 visited the community to conduct an arrest of a young lady who is alleged to have defrauded another person of a thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh₡1000.00). The attempt to arrest the lady was resisted which eventually led to the assault of the police.

Meanwhile, residents of Changli has petitioned the Interior Minister, Ambrose Derry through the Inspector General of Police, IGP, James Oppong Boanuh to as a matter of urgency launch investigation into the matter regarding Changli brutalities by some police officers on Sunday.

The residents expressed disappointment at Sunday’s action by the police, given the fact that, Changli has hosted several police officers over the past five decades.

They describe the act as appalling and scandalous and want immediate action to be taken against the perpetrators. The community also wants an assessment of the extent of property damages made and compensations be paid to the affected persons.  

Full statement …..

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The Representatives of Changli Community
Changli
Tamale
April 22, 2020.
The Interior Minister
Republic of Ghana
Accra
Through
The Inspector General of Police
Republic of Ghana
Police Headquarters
Accra
Through
The Regional Minister
Northern Region
Tamale
Dear Sir,
PETITON ON POLICE RAIDING OF CHANGLI COMMUNITY IN TAMALE
We send you greetings with worry over the unprofessional handing of Changli Community members by a section of policemen who raided the community and visited mayhem on the lives and properties of some members of the community. Sir, this raid came on the heels of a case the police followed up on to conduct an arrest of a young lady who is alleged to have defrauded another person of a thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh₡1000.00). We noticed the attempt to arrest the lady was resisted which eventually led to the assault of the police. Whiles we condemn the excesses of the miscreants who allegedly assaulted the policewoman, we expected that the police would have been more measured professionally to conduct investigation into identifying the miscreants who obstructed them on their duty, the police however resorted to a needless raid of a section of the community even as the lady whose arrest was allegedly resisted voluntarily reported to them.
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Sadly, at around 3.00am on the 18th of April 2020, the police broke into several homes and destroyed properties worth several thousands of Ghana cedis as well as beating up people mercilessly. About 86 houses were ransacked and a total of 209 people were assaulted with varying degrees of injuries. Of the 209 assaulted, 136 of the community members were arrested and sent to the regional police headquarters. They went berserk and destroyed 72 doors of people’s rooms. Other properties destroyed were: 10 television sets; 16 satellite dishes; 3 vehicles; 5 motor tricycles; 11 air-conditioners; 16 motor bikes; 4 laptops; and 2 polytanks. Shamefully, we recorded 26 missing cell phones and a total cash amount of nine thousand and nine hundred and forty Ghana cedis (GHC 9940.00) belonging to 11 complainants.
Sir, the Changli Community is grief-stricken as we have found the police raid very appalling and scandalous especially as they are supposed to exude the conduct of modern police officers who will not resort to undemocratic measures in ensuring law and order. In line with the United Nations Standards, we expect policing as a function of governance responsible for the prevention, defection, and investigation of crime, protection of persons and property as well as with the obligation to respect human rights. More so, we expected the police to have demonstrated faithful ability to protect the freedoms of the people instead of constraining it. Must our freedom be grossly abused in a democratic dispensation? These excesses had caused a number of community reprisals and therefore must be totally condemned.
Sir, the Changli Community members (the chiefs, the opinion leaders, youth) do not think that the police raid and the associated excesses and the inhumane conduct can guarantee the much-cherished peace, law and order we continuously crave for the Northern Region and Ghana at large. Are the police oblivious of the knowledge and wisdom behind community policing? Are they ignorant of the standards of: consulting with communities; responding to communities; mobilizing communities; and solving community problems?
Sir, we are aware that we are not in normal times as the country is battling with the COVID-19. We assure you that we remain law abiding and will be ready to cooperate with the police and other state agencies in ensuring peace, law and order in Changli and in Northern Region at large. We will however use all legitimate means possible to resist any further undue oppression from the police. What is even more baffling is that Changli had been a host to several police officers for the past (5) decades and have related with high sense of neighborliness and mutual respect. Several houses have hosted these police officers as tenants in Changli. The April 18, 2020 raid has bruised the long standing trust and respect we had for police and that requires urgent attention to restore the problem at hand.
Giving the gravity of the problem at hand and the enormity and harm caused to members of the community and to their property, we recommend the following for your attention.
i. There is an urgent need for an investigation into the unruly conduct of the police so that whoever is culpable would be brought to book.
ii. There should be an assessment of the extent of harm caused to the people and their property for possible compensation to the victims of the police raid.
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iii. The chiefs and people of Changli and Tamale at large want an immediate apology from the police command.
iv. The commanders who sanctioned the raid need to be transferred from Tamale as the conduct shows very bad faith to the community.
v. Police operations in the region should be more people-centred and human-rights based and norm-driven to reflect the basic tenets of modern policing in democratic Ghana.
vi. The police should respect the appropriate structures of the communities they deal with and relate to them in a manner that will elicit community members’ cooperation for the maintenance of law and order devoid of unprofessional approaches.
We anticipate your cooperation for the restoration of trust and mutual respect for the police in our community. We are ready to cooperate with you in any meaningful engagement for the advancement of peace and development of Tamale and the Region at large.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
The Community Representatives/petitioners
Cc Ndan Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama II
All Chiefs
The Peace Council, Northern Region
All Media Houses

Source: Ghana/Tamale/zaaradio.com/99.3fm/Jonas Biawurbi