Accra, May 20, GNA - The Greater Accra Regional Security Council (GARSC), on Friday set up a five-member committee to investigate the communal violence at Madina Faith Baptist Church School at an Accra suburb last Tuesday. The committee expected to submit its report within 14 days, has been charged to investigate the response by the Police and challenges they faced in confronting the rioters, determine the number of persons injured, extent of injury, the legal ownership of the land and the land tenure system in the area.

Briefing newsmen after inspection of the school and the extent of damage, Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, said the incident was unfortunate, because a better approach could have been used to resolve the issue. He said that the beauty about democracy was consensus building and operating within the rules and regulations governing the country. Nii Ashietey said: 93Without rules and regulations there would be chaos and disorder. Let us endeavour to operate within the law", and asked residents in the Muslim community to live in peace, be law abiding and exercise restrain to maintain peace and order.

He appealed to the public to maintain good relationship with the police because they were indispensable to the safety of the citizenry. "Let us not see the police as our enemies, they are our friends whose primary concern is to maintain law and order in the country, protect life and property and maintain discipline in the society", Nii Ashietey said. The Regional Minister said he was happy that no deaths were recorded during the riots, and commended the Police for their timely intervention and the high sense of professionalism exhibited in controlling the situation.

Nii Ashietey advised the church to honour its moral obligation to live in harmony with the people within the community where they operated, and tasked parties involved in the riots to support the committee to find an amicable solution to the problem. Reverend Joseph Oduro Yeboah, Assistant Pastor of Faith Baptist Church, commended the Council for its support and interest in the matter. He said the damage caused to the school would run into millions of dollars, and the school was expected to resume next week after the riots. Rev. Oduro said a meeting with the parents would be held to assure them of the safety of their children in the school.

The Muslim community appealed to the Council to ensure that those arrested and standing trial were granted bail while the committee pursued its agenda.