Police Averts Clash

A last minute intervention by the Ghana Police led by Dr K. K. Manfo averted a clash between the concerned women demonstrators and NDC women. The demonstration staged on Tuesday by the concerned women was to appeal to the former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, to release the names of 15 members of the current government, he claimed to have masterminded the killings of some 34 women in the country.

The demonstration was initially planned to end at the residence of the ex-President where the demonstrators would present their petition to the former President. But for the intervention of the police who insisted on changing the route, the about 300 concerned women demonstrators would have clashed with close to 50 NDC women who converged at the residence of ex-President Rawlings.

Commissioner of Police in charge of operations, Dr K. K. Manfo said allowing the demonstrators into the residence of former President Rawlings would amount to invasion of his privacy. It was therefore decided and agreed by the organizers that to avert any chaos, the petition should be sent to Parliament.

The women who gathered at the Rawlings’ residence said they were there to solidarise with and support ex-President Rawlings. Addressing them, the ex-President said had the present government been known for upholding the truth, he would have mentioned the names of the 15 cabinet members without any condition.

“But having lied their way to power and having compromised some key personalities in institutions like the judiciary and set up commissions of enquiry not for truth but to cover up the truth and spread lies, I urge them to accept the minimal condition I demand”, he said.

Flt Lt Rawlings said his insistence on a lie detector and chemical interrogation before he mentions the names would go a long way to rid “our body politic of the endemic official lies and deception and help enshrine the culture of truth in national, institutional as well as corporate governance”.

Flt Lt Rawlings described the demonstration by the women as a “March for Truth” which should be part of the efforts being made by concerned Ghanaians to help unravel the brutal killings of the 34 innocent women”.