Ejura Killing: Kwamena Duncan Defends Police Over Their Joint Operation With Soldiers

Former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan has come to the defence of the Police for calling for a Military reinforcement against a protest in Ejura on Tuesday, June 29, 2021.

The Military and Police in the Ashanti Region joined forces to control a crowd of protesters at Ejura following the death of an activist and resident, Ibrahim Mohammed alias 'Kaaka'.

Kaaka was killed last Friday after receiving life threatening messages over his social activism.

The Ejura youth hit the streets to register their displeasure and call for justice for Kaaka but had a confrontation with soldiers and Police deployed to the area to restore calm.

The soldiers fired gunshots directed at the protesters, killing two persons and four others injured.

Critics have lambasted the government over the Military intrusion into the Ejura community wondering why they would be used for crowd control.

The security forces have also been slammed for firing live bullets into the crowd resulting in the death of the two victims.

But, according to Kwamena Duncan, the Police acted proactively and therefore shouldn't be blamed for enlisting the help of the Military.

"The Police needed to be proactive, so I won't accept that the situation was out of their hands and that's why they called for support from the Military, because you don't have to wait for matters to escalate before you act. I mean any person vested in security and how to suppress rioting and to protect lives and property, you can't wait idly for what is at your disposal, to be able to stop the danger which is lurking, to stand there till it gets out of control. Even I who aren't a security person, you come, you get, you look at the extent it is going; then you back up with the necessary arsenal at your disposal," he said.

He also took shots at the "Fix the Country" campaigners for linking the killings to their campaign.

"Fix the country and I thought that, indeed, you will be ones that will be sober and will be waiting to find out and to confirm. When you have no clue at all what has happened, you begin to issue statements and you link people to it. So, they're there for objective Ghanaians for Ghanaians to see them; who they are," he fumed.