General News of Thursday, 16 May 2019

Source: kasapafmonline.com

NDC using ‘their’ private security firms to secretly enroll vigilantes – John Boadu

John Boadu is General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party John Boadu is General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party

The General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) John Boadu has accused the largest opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) of using private security firms to recruit abled body party boys ahead of the 2020 elections, who’ll be doing the same job as members of the vigilante groups have done over the years.

The two major political parties, the NPP and NDC have emphasized the need to stop the activities of political vigilante groups in the country.

The two parties are currently engaged in a dialogue to end vigilantism which is being mediated by the National Peace Council.

The NPP and the NDC among other things also agreed to stop the ownership. hiring and the utilization of vigilante and or militia groups by political members.

John Boadu in an interview on Okay FM Thursday questioned the sincerity of the NDC to end the activities of political vigilante groups when the party is surreptitiously recruiting young men for same purposes.

“As we speak NDC has started meeting and forming youth groups with different names, they may not call it the Hawks for obvious reasons but may refer to them as a support group. However, they’ll essentially do the same work the Hawks were doing. They are surreptitiously mobilizing on the ground, the NDC is enrolling these guys into private security firms owned by NDC members so that their true identity will not be known. When you see them they’re ostensibly a staff of a private security firm but in reality, they are members of a political vigilante group.

He further commented on the NDC’s call for a moratorium to be placed on the importation of arms into Ghana.

“The NDC is doing all these things and then turn round to tell the government to put a moratorium on the importation of arms into this country. If the party is making this call because there’s a basis for more control in the process of importing arms to avoid wrong people have possession of it then I support such a call.”