Regional News of Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Source: Abdul Karim Naatogmah

Security beefed up in N/R ahead of SC verdict

Adequate security measures have been put in place in the entire Northern Region to safeguard the area’s peace before and after the Supreme Court verdict on Thursday.

Enough police personnel have been deployed to some vital installations in the Tamale metropolis.

These include Radio stations, political party offices, hospitals, the Electoral Commission, offices of the Volta River Authority and Ghana Water Company Limited.

Apart from the intensification of security patrols within the enclave of the business capital and the periphery, an appreciable number of police personnel have been deployed to the main Aboabo and old Tamale markets.

About 20 armed police personnel are on constant guard at the regional offices of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that of the ruling National Democratic Congress.

For rapid response to the health needs of unexpected casualties, the regional police command has established an emergency health post at the Tamale Jubilee Park with adequate resources.

Citi News intelligence reports indicate that Yendi and the Tamale metropolis are areas where the security operatives would not allow complacency to over-ride their responsibilities.

The Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ken Yeboah told Citi News additional personnel have been brought from the police headquarters and that another contingent was enroute to Tamale to beef up security in the entire region.

Meanwhile, disabled persons in the Tamale metropolis joined forces with members of the Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association of Ghana (GHABA) and some Christian women groups who embarked on a peace march on some major streets in Tamale.

Under the auspices of a Non Governmental Organization called Youth Alive, the peace crusaders held placards some of which read, “Respect the verdict, “Ghana wins after Supreme Court,” “Ghana needs peace,” and “We are one people and one nation.”

Residents of Tamale are going about their normal economic activities. Religiously, Imams in the Tamale metropolis have intensified their prayers for peace.

Meanwhile, President of the Tamale Polytechnic Students Representative Council, Adam Iddrisu Baba has issued a statement advising students to comport themselves before and after the Supreme Court verdict.

He admonished tertiary students to rise above their partisanship and think of Ghana first.

Adam Baba Iddrisu described the election petition as a litmus test to deepen Ghana’s democratic credentials as the beacon of Africa and that tertiary students should promote national cohesion in these trying moments of the nation’s political history.