The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, has requested to meet the leaders of the youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), over their planned demonstration on July 6, 2021.
The meeting has been scheduled for 4:00 pm today, Friday, July 2, 2021.
A letter signed by the Director-General/Operations, of the Ghana Police Service, Kwaku Boadu-Peprah, and sighted by Citi News read: “The Inspector-General of Police respectfully requests for a meeting with the leadership of the demonstration, today, 2nd July 2021, at 4:00 pm at the national police headquarters, Accra for further discussion on security implications and arrangements for the intended demonstration”.
This comes on the back of the NDC youth wing’s insistence on staging the ‘March for Justice’ demonstration on the said date, despite the Accra Regional Police Command’s position that it cannot provide security for public health reasons amidst the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
The NDC youth wing says the protest is to demand justice for all persons killed or brutalized by the various security agencies in the country.
In a letter written to the Inspector General of Police, the NDC youth wing said it was writing to the police in accordance with the Public Order Act (491), but the request for protection to stage the protest was turned down.
The Regional Police Command’s explanation in rejecting the group’s request referred to Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1994 (ACT 491) particularly concerning public health.
“Restrictions imposed by the Executive Instrument (EI) 395 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have still not been lifted,” the police stated.
But the party says it will go ahead with the planned demonstration, despite the police’s indication that it will not be able to provide protection for them.
Their response said section 4 of Act 491 gives the Interior Minister powers to impose a curfew in the country during which no demonstration can be held and “so far as we are concerned, no part of Accra is under curfew for which reason a demonstration cannot be held as the Police erroneously want us to believe.”
The National Youth Organiser of the NDC, George Opare-Addo, told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News that the police’s reference to the Executive Instrument put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 as another reason why the demonstration cannot be held, cannot hold as it expired at the end of May 2021.
“The law that the police quoted, EI 395 expired on the 31st of March 2021. A new E.I. was passed and that one was for one month and that one expired on 31st May, so as of today, no new E.I. has been passed.”
