Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu has condemned the Police shooting incident that occurred at a suburb of Tamale, in the Northern Region on Sunday.
It is unclear what triggered the incident but eye witnesses told 3news.com‘s Christopher Amoako that a young man, 26, was driving an unregistered vehicle and when he was beckoned to stop, he refused.
The police, thus, shot at the vehicle, provoking a clash between the youth in the town and the law enforcement agents to register their disdain for the action.
The clash also saw the police fire warning shots.
Investigations have, however, been launched into the incident.
In a statement, Mr Iddirsu who is also the Minority Leader said “We do not encourage individuals to resolve grievances by resorting to unrest, though protest within the ambit of the Law in a responsible manner is allowed.
“However, the recurrent acts of attack on the inhabitants of the Tamale, through the use of live ammunition by the Police to quell disturbances that results in loss of lives and injury to innocent bystanders is unacceptable and is to be denounced. This, unfortunately, appears to be a growing trend, the third time in two years in the Tamale Metropolis.
“The police have no right to shoot and kill, except under extraordinary circumstances. I do not see the situation under these circumstances as extraordinary to warrant such reckless and irresponsible use of force.”
Below is his full statement…
The evening of yesterday, Sunday, February 13, 2022, I visited the Accident and Emergency Centre of the Tamale Teaching Hospital where several inhabitants of the metropolis had been treated by the medical personnel on duty for several degrees of gunshot wounds.
These include a minor who was shot in the elbow, another in the face and the driver of a white Toyota Camry saloon car at the centre of the controversy because it was reported to be unregistered, shot in the groin.
The body of Hakeem, a recently-graduated JHS student and an innocent bystander who was also hit, currently lies in the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue.
The youth of the area, which lies in my constituency of Tamale South, resorted to protest the Police’s storming of the Lamashe Naa’s palace to arrest the driver of the unregistered vehicle who had fled into the palace for protection. This was after his car was fired upon by police pursuing him to effect arrest for reportedly failing to stop on their instruction.
We do not encourage individuals to resolve grievances by resorting to unrest, though protest within the ambit of the Law in a responsible manner is allowed. However, the recurrent acts of attack on the inhabitants of the Tamale, through the use of live ammunition by the Police to quell disturbances that results in loss of lives and injury to innocent bystanders is unacceptable and is to be denounced. This, unfortunately, appears to be a growing trend, the third time in two years in the Tamale Metropolis.
The police have no right to shoot and kill, except under extraordinary circumstances. I do not see the situation under these circumstances as extraordinary to warrant such reckless and irresponsible use of force.
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. When a suspected culprit under pursuit flees to a chief’s palace, natural wisdom should instruct that such a person is running for protection.
The Lamashe Naa is one of the respected chiefs of Tamale and Dagbon, for that matter. So, one would have expected the Police to have exercised restraint. Storming his palace for such a reason and in such a manner amounts to indiscretion and disrespect for our time-tested traditions and norms.
I’m calling on the Police to take up the issue and authorize a full-scale investigation. I’ve done my widow’s mite in my representational capacity as Member of Parliament for the area; but in the meantime, the State would have to accept responsibility for the urgent medical treatment and attention of those affected. This is a matter the Inspector General, Dr. Dampare, must take a keen interest in, as I take up this matter strongly on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday.
