The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of sponsoring “criminal gangs to operate in the country with impunity”.

In assessing the six-month old government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday at a press conference at its headquarters in Accra, the NDC ran down the “achievements” of the NPP, describing the current dispensation as an era characterized by lawlessness, insecurity and government-backed terrorism.

According to the Leader and National Chairman of the opposition NDC, Kofi Portuphy, who read the speech on behalf of the party, the level and form of lawlessness currently ongoing is unprecedented.

“For the first time in our fourth republican dispensation, a political party in the shape of the NPP has incorporated militancy and violent extremism into its way of operations.”

‘No Case’

He further accused the NPP as being behind the current political vigilantism in the country.

“To give meaning to militancy and violence, a group of brigands and outright criminals have assembled and given such blood-clotting names as, Invisible forces, Delta forces,Kandaha boys, Volta crocodiles etc and also given them covering from the seat of government to perpetuate their illegal existence.”

The opposition party went on to call out the NPP as being responsible for the shooting and killing of police officers in the country lately. They claim to have information to that effect.

“Very credible intelligence information reaching us, has it that, a lot of the armed robbery and killing of our hardworking police officers is being done by some elements belonging to the aforementioned militant goon squads associated with the NPP.”

The party cited the Attorney General’s office as part of government machinery that condones acts of violence, especially so when the Attorney General filed a ‘No Case’ in court to discontinue a case involving a group which they believe is an NPP vigilante group.

“A typical case in point is what happened in Kumasi where criminals who beat up the regional security coordinator and also roughed-up a circuit court judge and disrupt court proceedings, are walking around as free persons because Gloria Akuffo’s Attorney General’s department decided to file a no case to discontinue the matter in court.”

‘IGP in despair’

For the NDC, all the incidents are purposefully orchestrated and executed to weaken the citizens of Ghana and to appease the “criminal groups” Nana AKufo-Addo made promises to but cannot fulfill them.

They say the general sense of security in the country has broken down because the police seem “helpless” and the IGP is in “despair”.

The press conference generally centered on issues surrounding lawlessness, insecurity, corruption, government size, nepotism, borrowing and other issues of national concern.

This comes exactly two days after President Nana Akufo-Addo met the media to give an account of his stewardship after six months in office.