It has been 4 years since the violence that was seen in the 2020 election, but most of the victims of the violence have been neglected and are yet to receive justice.

Pius Asiedu Kwanin, a journalist who was shot in the line of duty at the Ablekuma Central Constituency collation centre at Odorkor in Accra, is suffering from the gunshot wound he sustained, with no justice in sight for him.

Asiedu Kwanin is not only suffering from the life-changing injury he sustained but has also lost his job and now has to rely on close relations to foot the hefty bills for all the medical procedures he is undergoing for full recovery.

Speaking in an interview on GhanaWeb’s #SayItLoud programme, the journalist narrated the commotion at the centre that led to him and four other people being shot.

He said that an argument between the supporters of the parliamentary candidates suddenly turned violent, and gunshots started flying all over the centre.

“Around 2 am, a fight erupted at the collation centre at the Odorkor Police Barracks. All we could hear were gunshots. At first, I was filming the incident. So, when I heard the first gunshot, I had to position myself, put back my camera, and then seek refuge. By then, the gate (of the church which was being used for the collation) was closed. I wanted to move out, but I couldn’t.

“So, as I was running to seek refuge within the church room, I heard another shot. It dawned on me that I had to go out, because by then people were just running; it was all pandemonium, noise, shouting, and all sorts of things. So immediately I got to the gate, I got to the entrance of the church. It was a metallic gate, so I was shaking it to move out. As I heard it open, immediately as I was stepping out, I heard a gunshot that swept me off my feet. I fell, and the rest was just pain,” he narrated.

He added, “Then people were just walking over me. It was left with only me on the floor. I was shouting and in pain. I tried standing on my right leg so I could move out. I was moving on my right leg but couldn’t. So, I fell on the voting booths that were in the room.”

The journalist said that as he was on the floor, the shooting was still ongoing. It seemed to be between the soldiers at the centre and an unknown gunman.

He said that while he was on the ground in pain, fearing that he might be dying, one of the soldiers came to his aid.

“I was just hearing the sound of the bullets. A military man came around me, and I told him that I was in pain and asked if he could help me. Then he told me that there was no car. By then, I had been on the ground for more than 30 minutes, still bleeding - the blood was just gushing out. Another one came, and I told him that I was dying and asked if he could help me out.

“So, it was him (the 2nd military man) who came to remove my belt and then tie it around my thigh, and told me to lie on the floor. So, I was just on the floor. When the place became a little stabilised, certain guys came around. They came to help me, put me into another car, and I was taken to Cocoa Clinic. That was where I was given first aid, and an ambulance was arranged for me to be transferred.”

Watch the full interview below:



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Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.