Parliament will investigate the killing of some five residents of Bortianor Hills, a superb of the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro constituency by the police on allegations of their involvement languard activities.
Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako who gave the directive to the Defence and Interior Committee of the House also asked the leadership of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to assist and charged the committee to present its findings to plenary by the end this month, June 2023.
This directive follows an urgent statement made on the floor by the Member of Parliament for the area, Sylvester Matthew Tetteh expressing misgivings about the conduct of the police.
The MP who condemned the killings acknowledged that the activities of landguards in the area causes constant harassments to residents but said reports from family members of the deceased victims have denied the claim by the police that the suspects were land-guards.
‘`Mr. Speaker, we acknowledge rampant landguard activities in and around the area and constant harassment of residents and builders alike, however reports from the family, friends and those with knowledge of these individuals have refuted the police allegations that these men were involved in landgaurd activities’’ Mr Tetteh said.
The lawmaker therefore called for a parliamentary enquiry into the killings and also appealed to residents to keep calm as government through law enforcement agencies investigates the issue to ascertain its veracity or otherwise.
Ranking member on the Defence and Interior Committee and MP for Builsa North, James Agalga also condemned the killings and said the police erred by their conduct.
He noted that, even if the suspects were landguards, it is not for the police to kill them since the law presumes innocence until proven guilty.
Member for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta-Akyea supports calls for a parliamentary probe since the police cannot be trusted to investigate itself.
The victims were on Thursday June 6, 2023 gunned down by the police when they allegedly engaged in a shootout with the police who were monitoring activities of land guards in the area.
The Ghana Police after the incident, issued a statement claiming the operation was targeted at criminal elements who have been terrorizing residents and land owners and in robbery and landguard activities in the Bortianor and surrounding areas.
According to the statement, the suspects upon seeing the police approaching them, decided to open fire and the police responded leading to the death of five of them.
The names of the victims have been given as Abraham Tetteh Wayo aka Brother, Augustine Neequaye aka Dada Joe, Daniel Neequaye, Joseph Amankwanor and an unidentified steel bender, all natives of the Bortianor area.
