The Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament has accused the Police administration of peddling falsehood in the shooting incident at the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi where scores of students were injured and rushed various hospitals after the Police fired tear gas to disperse them during a demonstration.
The Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin tasked the Defense and Interior committee to fact-find the issue.
Chairman of the Committee, Kennedy Agyapong, speaking to journalists in Parliament on Thursday July 21 shortly after presenting the report to the house asked the speaker of parliament to establish a by partisan committee to further investigate the matter.
“When it was referred to us, we first met the Police High rank with the IGP leading it. They told us what actually transpired and the swift decision they took, from Accra to Kumasi.
“The IGP himself went there, within two hours he was there, which was good. But we realized that when we were on campus, the Islamic School, the report they gave us was different from what the Police told us and we went to the Police because we hear about 8 of them also got injured.
“In the course of that, when I was asking questions, I realized the Inspector was reluctant. I asked several times, did you Police officers enter the campus? They all said no. Meanwhile we have bullets from some of the dormitories that the Police entered.
“But with the referral, we had a limit so we couldn’t probe into it well, that is why we entered there and we realized they were not telling us the truth or giving us the full picture. That is why we came here asking the Speaker to give Parliament bi-partisan committee, another opportunity to go and investigate so that they can question the Police very well.
“In fact, the IGP did very well, moving from Accra to Kumasi within two hours, I think he did well, no doubt about that but the picture they painted to us, when we went there it was a bit different, that is why the Committee recommended that they should form bi-partisan committee to probe into it further.”
Following the shooting on Monday June 13, the Deputy Regional Commander in the Ashanti Region, DCOP Kwesi Akomea Apraku has been removed.
This was after the Inspector General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampre led a team to the area to assess the situation.
Portions of a statement issued by the Police after the IGP’s visit said “It was further established that even though nobody was hit by a bullet the Police handling of the incident was poor and fell short of our standard operating procedure on crowd control.
“As a result, DCOP Kwesi Akomeah-Apraku who was acting as the Regional Commander has been removed from his position and has been interdicted. Two other officers, ACP Mr George Ankomah, the Regional Operations Officer and ACP Mr Alex Cudjoe Acquah, the Suame Divisional Police Commander have also been interdicted to make way for a thorough investigations into the matter.”
Over thirty students of the Islamic Senior High School were rushed to the hospital after the police allegedly fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse students who were demonstrating over incessant vehicular knockdown.
Worried parents stormed the school to demand for the release of their wards on Monday June 13.
The affected students were conveyed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and other hospitals in Kumasi.
“I should be worried but some of them have been resituated . we will follow to the hospital and see how they are doing,” Madam Mary Owusu Afriyie, the Regional Education Director told journalists.
Posted by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh.
