I will be disappointed in the Ejura Committee if no action is taken against the Ashanti Regional Minister – Security Analyst

A security analyst, Emmanuel Kotin, says he would be disappointed in the outcome of the report of the Committee that investigated the Ejura disturbances if no action is taken against the Ashanti Regional Minister, who requested miltary involvement in the area.

His comment comes after the three-member ministerial committee tasked to investigate the disturbances of Tuesday, June 29, 2021, presented its findings to the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

Portions of the report sighted by Citi News revealed a recommendation for the removal of the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ejura-Sekyedumase Assembly.

This is in spite of the fact that the MCE has already withdrawn his nomination to be considered or retained for the position.

The Committee also recommended compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured, the transfer of the District Police Commander for Ejura-Sekyedumase, DSP Philip Hammond, and sanctions for the military officer who led the soldiers on the ground that day among others.

But the Security Analyst says he expects sanctions against the Regional Minister who admitted to dispatching the military.

“From the briefs I’m getting, even though the full report isn’t out yet, it is the recommendation of the sacking of the MCE for Ejura, the transfer of the Police Commander, and the dismissal of the security personnel who led the operation.”

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Kotin said the Municipal Chief Executive should not be the one to take the fall for something the Regional Minister did.

“It [Ejura committee’s recommendation] is much ado about nothing. Why should you hang the MCE who did not call for military intervention in Ejura and not the Regional Minister who did such an illegal calling?. I was expecting the committee to come out with something that will bring forth the trust that the general public seems to be losing in the security services and secondly, the political tone the Ejura incident took, some of us were not looking for a political recommendation. Is the Regional Minister above the law?”

“He came before the committee and he was telling the committee he had the power under the National Security Act to call for reinforcement but if you look at the law, he has no power to do that” he noted.

The MCE, Mohammed Salisu Bamba, has already withdrawn his application for reappointment to the position after the July 29 incident, that led to the shooting of six persons, two of whom died from their injuries.

The committee, made up of Justice George Kingsley Koomson as the Chairman; a security analyst, Dr. Vladimir Antwi-Danso, and the Executive Director of Penplusbytes, Juliet Adiema Amoah, presented its findings to the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery on Tuesday, July 27, 2021.

The committee took testimonies from about 20 witnesses including journalists, police, and military officers, as well as political appointees in the jurisdiction of the incident, and family members of some victims.

It completed its work on July 9, 2021, after holding public hearings for two weeks.

Why the committee was set up?
The President, Nana Akufo-Addo, earlier in July 2021, directed the Interior Ministry to conduct a public inquiry following the killing of two people and the injuring of four others by soldiers during a protest against the killing of a social activist, Ibrahim Muhammed, popularly known as Kaaka Macho.

Kaaka died on Monday, June 28, 2021, after he was attacked by unknown assailants while returning home from an event he attended in the area.

Earlier reports suggested that Kaaka was killed because of his social activism, which some persons felt was making the government unpopular, but police reports suggest otherwise after three people including his brother were arrested and put before the court over the killing.

The Interior Ministry subsequently constituted a three-member committee chaired by Justice George Kingsley Koomson to probe the issue and make recommendations.

Other members of the committee were Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso and Juliet Amoah.

Marie Louis Simmons, a Principal State Attorney, was the secretary to the committee.