A group calling itself the Coalition of Concerned Youth Groups of Tamale has scheduled a demonstration in Tamale on March 14 2017.

According to the leaders of the pro-National Democratic Congress (NDC) group, the demonstration is protest against the lawless activities carried out at the offices of Youth Employment Authority (YEA), Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIA), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Tamale Polytechnic, and most recently Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) by NPP foot soldiers.

“We believe that, the police refusal to arrest these lawless individuals and groups is a dent on the image of the metropolis and has the potential of warding off investors. It is also a threat to the fragile peace we have been enjoying in the region, for a region that has always been in the news for the wrong reasons, it is wrong for the police to keep on putting up this feet dragging attitude of not arresting and prosecuting these miscreant’s to serve as deterrent”

Read the full statement below

COALITION OF CONCERNED YOUTH GROUPS OF TAMALE

DEMONSTRATION

4th March, 2017.

Pursuant to the public order act, (Act 419),The coalition of concerned youth groups of Tamale wish to notify you of our intension to embark on a peaceful demonstration on some principal streets in the Tamale metropolis against the police commandand the Regional Security council for their failure to arrest and prosecute Lawless youth who went about conducting acts of locking up public offices and beating up innocent public servants and clients.

These lawless activities were carried out at the offices of Youth EmploymentAuthority (YEA), Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIA), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Tamale Polytechnic, and most recently Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). Not even the call by H.E the president Nana AkufoAddo could get the police to act.

We believe that, the police refusal to arrest theselawless individuals and groups is a dent on the image of the metropolis and has the potential of warding offinvestors. It is alsoa threat to the fragile peace we have been enjoying in the region,fora region that has always been in the news for the wrong reasons, it is wrong for the police to keep on putting up this feet dragging attitude of not arresting and prosecuting these miscreant’s to serve as deterrent.

Indeed, these lawless youth are reported to have left behind their contact numbers at the various offices they attacked.Also, their leaders granted interviews on radio and TV networks which should make the work of the police much easier.

What came to us as a surprise is a statement attributed to the police commander on Joy FM to the effect that they( the police) contacted an NPP leader to retrieve the keys to the TTH CEO’s office from the Lawless youth. These same leaders who are on record to have condemned the action of the youth could easilyhave assisted the police to identify and arrest these individuals if the police intended taken actionto discourage any miscreant or groups who want to take the law into their hands now, and in the future.

Our demonstration is aimed at ensuring that the police service and by extension the Regional Security council act within their mandate to arrest and prosecute those miscreants to avert any reprisal acts of lawlessness now and in the future since there is no status bar to the arrest and prosecution of people who fall foul of the Law.

Failure to do the above, amounts to refusal to obey lawful instructions from no less a superior officer than the commander in chief of the Ghana armed forces (H.E the President of the republic of Ghana, Nana AkufoAddo) since this call was re-echoed on the floor of parliament.

On this note, our demonstration is scheduled as follows:

Date 14TH of March 2017

Time: 9: 00 to 12 noon

Route: from police pack to Agric traffic, through to Choggu roundabout, towards townto Taxi rank and to Regional Administration to present a petition to the Honorable Regional Minister.

We look forward to an invitation to a meeting with you to agree on the modalities prior to the date of our peaceful demonstration.

We count on your cooperation.

Thank you.