The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has condemned the recent killing of a social media activist at Ejura in Ghana’s Ashanti Region and has called for investigations into the incident and perpetrators brought to book.
In a statement issued on June 30, the Bishops said, “We wish to condemn in no uncertain terms the murder of Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Kaaka, a social media activist said to be a member of the #FixTheCountry campaign.”
“We are disgusted at the shooting incident that resulted in the death of two of the compatriots of Ibrahim Mohammed: Muntala Mohammed, 25, and Abdul Nasir Yusif, 25, during a demonstration in Ejura to demand justice over the murder,” the June 30 statement signed by the GCBC President, the Most Rev. Philip Naameh said.
According to the Bishops, “We have expressed time and again the need for our security agencies to be very professional in the discharge of their duties, especially when it comes to crowd control.”
The Bishops lamented, “Unfortunately, the situation is rather getting out of hand and this does not augur well for our country,” and asked, “How can one justify the action of the military man seen in the viral video aiming and shooting at unprotected and unarmed civilians in an attempt to stop the demonstration?”
This act, the Ghanaian Prelates said, was not only condemnable but criminal and must be investigated and the perpetrators duly punished.
“This must be done with the urgency it deserves because citizens are gradually losing trust in the ability of our security agencies to handle such cases effectively and competently,” the Bishops added.
The Catholic Bishops of Ghana were of the view that “While awaiting action over the death of the three and those injured, we appeal to all agitated youth across the country, particularly those of Ejura, to restrain themselves from engaging in acts that can result in social unrest.”
The Bishops however urged citizens who wished to exercise their fundamental human rights to demonstrate, to do so within the limits of the laws of the country
“All well-meaning people must deplore and actively discourage the seemingly growing level of intolerance of divergent views and undemocratic conduct of security personnel and some government officials, the Bishops concluded.
