Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader in Parliament has called on the Ghana Police Service to authorise a full-scale investigation into Sunday’s shooting incident at Lamashegu, a suburb of Tamale.
Mr Iddrisu, who is Member of Parliament for Tamale South, the constituency in which the incident occurred, urged the Inspector General of Police to take a keen interest in the issue adding he would raise the matter on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, February 15.
He made the call in Tamale on Monday after visiting the injured at the Tamale Teaching Hospital as well as the Lamashegu Chief’s palace to ascertain the situation.
On Sunday afternoon, February 13, some Police officers allegedly shot at a driver of an unregistered vehicle at the Lamashegu Chief’s palace in Tamale.
The driver allegedly refused to stop after he was signalled to do so by the Police and they pursued him to the palace.
Stray bullets also allegedly hit some bystanders and all the injured were rushed to the Tamale Teaching Hospital for treatment.
One of the injured, a boy, who just graduated from JHS, died of his injuries on Sunday.
Mr Iddrisu called on the State to accept responsibility for the urgent medical treatment and attention of those affected.
He condemned the use of live ammunition to deal with the situation saying it was unacceptable.
He said “The recurrent acts of attack on the inhabitants of Tamale, through the use of live ammunition by the Police to quell disturbances that result in loss of lives and injury to innocent bystanders, is unacceptable and is to be denounced.”
He added that “This, unfortunately, appears to be a growing trend; the third time in two years in the Tamale Metropolis.”
He raised issues with the Police for not exercising restraint when the occupants of the vehicle reached the Chief’s palace.
He said “From time immemorial and across religions and cultures, places of worship and in our case, palaces of traditional rulers have served as places of refuge for individuals under pursuit for any offense or reason.”
Meanwhile, the Police Administration, in a statement on Monday, announced that it had interdicted six Police officers following an initial investigation into the incident.
The statement said “The Police Administration has also dispatched a team of investigators led by the Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), DCOP/Mr Frederick Agyei to lead the investigation into the matter.”
