Compensate Victims of Ayawaso Election Violence- NDC to Govt

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reiterated calls for the compensation of victims of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election melee in 2019.

The election was marred by violence as the reasonable arrangement for the election was abruptly disrupted by the masked SWAT team who were deployed to the La Bawaleshie School polling station grounds in complete disregard of the officially laid down electoral security arrangement to retrieve alleged stored-up ammunition, the Emil Short Commission of Enquiry which investigated the disturbance found.

On their deployment, the committee found that several live bullets were fired recklessly at the crowd, leading to the injury of five and the assault of a lawmaker and others.

The NDC is dragging the government to comply with the recommendations stipulated by the Committee.

The committee, in its report a month after its institution recommended the payment of financial compensation to five persons, namely Theophilus Sedofu, Seidu Zaneh, James Moore, Mohammed Alhassan and Ishawu Yaro, among other recommendations.

Five years down the line, the victims are yet to get the compensation and the NDC characterizes it as refusal on the part of the government.

“The sad reality today however is that the government has refused to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Enquiry thus leaving the seriously injured and economically challenged victims to fend for themselves in an economy destroyed beyond recognition by the singular ineptitude of the Akufo-Addo government.”

In a statement released by the opposition party, its General Secretary recalled, “Exactly five years ago today, heavily armed men from the national security of Ghana invaded the by-election for the replacement of the then-deceased member of Parliament of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

“In the confusion that followed, many persons received life-changing injuries from the indiscriminate firing of sophisticated assault rifles that the state-sanctioned terrorists wielded.”