The Committee on Defence and Interior of Parliament has been tasked to follow up on the disturbance at the Islamic School Senior High School (SHS) in Kumasi and establish the facts that led to the firing of tear gas by police officers.
The Committee is charged to visit the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Regional Police Command, the school and the hospitals involved in the treatment of the injured students.
The Committee Members are also to meet the injured students and the tutor whose vehicle was hit in the accident that sparked the protest by the students.
The Committee has one week to report back its finding as the House awaits the finalization of an investigation launched by the Police Service into the incident.
Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban K.S. Bagbin gave the directive following a passionate appeal by Member of Parliament for Asawase and Minority Whip, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, who requested the matter to be referred to the Committee as an addition to incidents that it is already investigating.
Mr. Muntaka observed that the worrying aspect of the recent development is the fact the Ejura incident happened not long ago and though a Commission of Inquiry had probed it, implementation of its report has been very poor.
He stated the visit of the IGP to the Region and interdiction of the three senior police officers for the poor handling of the protest that culminated in the disturbance is not enough.
He said, “It Is not enough because we know how the police have operated in the past when they will take the initial step and that ends it. Mr. Speaker, I am saying this on the back of what happened to the Asawase seven young guys who were shot and killed by the police in cold blood.”
“When we insisted on an independent Commission of Inquiry, it further exposed the police and the action they took.”
“Today the officers that were interdicted and left to the Police Service to deal with, no major action has been taken against them and we also saw what happened with the Ayawaso West Wuogon report.”
“I am calling on this House to, as a matter of urgency, add this new incident to the work of the Defence and Interior Committee. I believe they will have fresh information and be able to conduct a public hearing on the matter,” he appealed.
The Minority Whip lamented that on the day of the incident though the protesting students had been dispersed by an earlier Police team and shepherded back onto campus by the head teacher and the main gate locked, a second batch of police officers arrived on the scene, broke the padlock, entered the compound and chased the students into their dormitories and classrooms while firing tear gas indiscriminately leading to 38 students sustaining various degrees of injuries.
He expressed worry at the increasing police brutality against ordinary citizens and cited Ejura, Nkoranza, Wa and previously Ayawaso as examples.
Hon. Muntaka stressed the growing brutality on civilians must end and expressed hope the police after its investigation would take the appropriate action and punish officers found to have failed to perform their duties as required.