UN condemns violence by vigilante group in Ghana

The UN on Monday condemned the recent violence by Delta Force, a vigilante group affiliated to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ghana, calling for investigations into the acts and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The world body said these acts by vigilante groups were likely to tarnish the image of Ghana as a model of democracy and the rule of law.

In a statement in Accra, the special representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the resident coordinator of the UN system in Ghana, Christine Evans-Klock, both condemned the “acts of impunity perpetrated by the Delta Force vigilante group in the aftermath of December 2016 elections.”

They are particularly concerned that these political militants invaded the premises of a Circuit Court in Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest commercial city, on Thursday and freed their members standing trial for alleged assault on Regional Security Coordinator George Adjei.

The two UN officials outrightly denounce these reprehensible acts that are the latest in a series of similar incidents since the end of the December 2016 elections in Ghana.

They welcome positively the unambiguous condemnation of these acts by the government and expect that all necessary measures would be taken to investigate these actions and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The 13 accused members who escaped from the court have reported themselves to police and are currently in custody.

The police have arrested eight members of the vigilante group who attacked the court.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Inspector-General of Police David Apeatu has described the action of the Delta Force group as “infantile, reprehensible and un-Ghanaian,” local newspaper Daily Graphic reported on Monday.

Apeatu, who visited Kumasi on Saturday following the attack, said the police administration had declared war on the activities of vigilante groups, mass disorder and disturbances.

“As a nation, we have come very far in our democratic pursuit and we cannot afford to slip,” he said.