NPP Condemns Police Brutality On Law Students

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned Monday’s excessive use of force by the police on demonstrating law students who were demanding reforms to the legal education system, and called for an investigation into the incident.

It would be recalled that, the police deployed water cannons, fired rubber bullets and arrested 9 of the demonstrators at the Ako-Adjei Interchange in Accra because they claimed the protesters were impeding traffic, but the ruling party, in a statement, insisted the measures adopted by the police were uncalled for.

The NPP also called on the relevant state actors to grant a hearing to these students, who had consistently demanded immediate reforms to legal education in the country.

Below is the full statement:

NPP CONDEMNS POLICE BRUTALITY ON DEMONSTRATING LAW STUDENTS

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) condemns the policing measures and consequent incidents that occurred during the demonstration by persons protesting against mass failures in the recent Law School Examinations.

Reports speak of apparent excessive use of force by personnel of the Ghana Police Service against the demonstrators who were harmless and non-violent.

While we accept the position of the Police that the demonstrators may have strayed outside the law, and were disrupting the normal usage of the public thoroughfare that passes in front of Jubilee House, we are, however, not convinced that the Police had to resort to such use of force and crowd controlling techniques to manage a crowd, mainly of students.

The police must realize that, just like every other Ghanaian, they are also subject to law and ought to give confidence to the populace at all times that, in applying the law, they do so fairly to all manner of persons.

In the light of this sad development, the NPP is calling on the police hierarchy to look into the matter and bring persons who are found to have acted unprofessionally to justice to forestall future occurrence of this regrettable incident.

Finally, the party calls on the relevant authorities and State actors to grant a hearing to these students, who, together with many others, have consistently demanded for an immediate reform to legal education in the country, to reflect the realities of the 21st century.

We do empathize deeply with the innocent students who may have suffered any trauma and pray for their speedy recovery.

…Signed…

John Boadu

(General Secretary)