Ghana Becoming Lawless Society - Casely-Hayford

By James Ayitey

Anti-corruption campaigner, Sydney Casely-Hayford has suggested that uncontrolled activties of vigilante groups is turning Ghana into an anarchical state with no order.

According to him, there appear to be a deliberate attempt to allow such unlawful practices continue due to political expediencies.

A vigilante group, Delta Force, believed to be affiliated to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), on the President's Ashanti Regional security coordinator appointee.

The group destroyed state property and manhandled the appointee in a bloody attack when they stormed the premises of the Regional Coordinating Council on Friday.

According to the group, they cannot work with Mr. Adjei who was recently appointed by President Akufo-Addo.

They said he did not contribute to the party's electoral success in the 2016.

A video of the attack which went viral on social media has ignited concern over the increasing spate of illegal attack and take-over of government properties by vigilante groups, with some questioning the president's commitment to addressing such issues due to his silence on the matter.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, the OccupyGhana member, Sydney Casely-Hayford said, "Why have we allowed things like this to continue, as if it is normal and acceptable... There are several instances where groups have taken over district offices and kicked out district executives and nobody is prosecuted.

Nobody is even condemned in any way. We are living in a situation in this country where we are allowing lawlessness to simply carry on."

"We are now dangerously close to an anarchical situation. And the police don't seem to have any power or simply doesn't want to act or somebody has instructed them not to act because they consider it politically unwise to act. We are too close to allowing all of this to continue and I am very very disappointed in government that after two or three days of this happening, there doesn't seem to be any attempt to try and stop these groups," he said.

He added that, "We seem to be pretending that we have laws in this country. We are living a big lie and this is the time when we have to take the opportunity to stop all these and curtail this kind of lawlessness once and for all," he added.

Following the declaration of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the winner of the 2016 presidential elections, there has been reports of forceful takeovers of some state agencies, facilities and operations including KVIPs and toll booths, alleged to be carried out by the Invisible Forces, a private security organization affiliated to the NPP.

Many groups including the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have called on the president to deal more firmly and decisively with the situation.

The development has forced the former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur to write to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo to as a matter of urgency work to end the unlawful activities the illegal groups.

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