Correspondence from Upper West

Following the killing of a 27-year-old Abubakar Shahid from Dondoli, a suburb in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region earlier this month by the Police, there are growing calls for the removal of the Police Anti-Armed Robbery Squad (AARS) that allegedly killed the deceased.

Abubakar Shahid was allegedly shot and killed by the Police Anti-Armed Robbery Squad on suspicion of being a member of an armed robbery gang said to be terrorising residents in Wa and its environs on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

This led to a serious protest by the family, residents from Dondoli as well as the municipality who flatly denied the allegations and called for an independent probe into the case to exonerate the deceased who they said had never involved in any criminal act prior to his unfortunate passing.

Calm has since returned to the municipality after the IGP sent a delegation led by the Director General of Police in charge of Operations, COP Christian Tatteh Yohuno, to calm the family while assuring them of carrying out thorough investigations into the case.

The IGP has since set up two independent committees to properly probe the matter to bring it to a closure.

However, GhanaWeb's checks across the municipality among the youth has revealed incessant calls to ensure the AARS whose operation resulted in the killing of the deceased, Abubakar Shahid, and causing a lot of pains and discomfort to residents is moved away from the municipality or even out of the region.

They describe members of the unit as unprofessional and trigger-happy officers who take delight in flogging and punishing people for nothing. They alleged that the modus operandi of the AARS is using machetes to whip people sitting at night in their neighborhoods to enjoy fresh air before going to bed due to the extreme high temperature currently being experienced in that part of the country.

They accused members of the Police unit of their weird dressing during their night operations that makes it difficult to differentiate them from thieves or ordinary persons.

A resident, Abdul-Fatawu said, "We know that in modern standard policing, one can go undercover in any form or way to carry out investigations. But to have Police officers going out on night operations without wearing police uniforms, with most of them wearing ear rings, dreadlocks and masks on. So how do people know you are indeed Police officers when you stop them somewhere? What kind of policing is that? Are we in some kind of state of emergency in this town?

"We are now in the warmest time of the year and the whether here is always hot even at night. So most people look for some fresh air at night before going to sleep. But these members of the Police Anti-Armed Robbery Squad would often visit such neighborhoods sitting in relaxation and start assaulting, whipping people with their cutlasses and asking them to go inside and sleep as though the town was having a curfew of a sort. When we ask questions, they usually claim the commander here has no control over them unless only the IGP. They are always terrorising the people other than protecting them. How can the Police go on an operation in town without wearing uniform but are spotted wearing ear rings, dreadlocks, beard, masks and so on? We are calling on the IGP to remove them from the region as the regular Police officers here can protect us and provide order for the people," another resident, Isaac Kofi registered his frustration to GhanaWeb

Saaka Mahama also bemoaned, "It's disheartening and disgusting to say the least, how these officers are treating people in Wa. These Anti-Robbery unit guys treat people like animals. Before the recent killing of Shahid who everybody in town know as a good mannered person, responsible man and never a criminal, people were already complaining about their unprofessional conduct towards people. Because they wear masks and don't wear uniforms, it's difficult to identify them as Police especially when one of them offends you in anyway you cannot report the fellow. Who do you even report to, since they claim they're not under the control of the Regional Commander? Another issue is that their presence tends to give thieves an upper hand as people may mistaken thieves as the Police who mostly usually dress as ordinary persons. We are pleading to the IGP, the Interior Minister, Hon. Ambrose Dery and the National Security Minister to move this Police unit from the municipality.

Meanwhile, our attempts to hear from the side of the Police Command were unsuccessful.

But reacting to the calls, ACP Mr. Gabriel Prince Waabu, Upper West Regional Police Commander, in an interview with GhanaWeb's regional correspondent, Ilyaas Al-Hasan, pooh-poohed the assertions.

According to him, all the members under the Anti-Robbery unit are Police officers just like all other Police units arguing that the demand is tantamount to requesting for the removal of all Police officials from the municipality.

He argued that the existence of the unit has significantly brought down cases of armed robbery and break-ins within the municipality.

He accused those engaging in the night sittings as mostly being the elements that are weed smokers and phone snatchers.

He wondered why people would stay up outside late in the night without caring about the whereabouts of their kids at that time.

ACP Prince Waabu charged the media to help in educating the masses to be cooperative with directives of the Police.