We, the Economic Fighters League and fellow Convenors of #FixTheCountry by this joint statement express our disappointment with the finally released report of the three member ministerial committee of enquiry into the unfortunate occurrences at Ejura setup by the Interior minister under the directive of the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo.
Having reviewed the Report of the Committee in its entirety and sought the opinions of several resident’s of Ejura; we find that the Report is structurally incompetent; the Committee’s findings are largely insufficiently justified and the recommendations proffered are largely unsubstantiated or tentative. In particular:
- We note that the Committee departed from its terms of reference without just cause to deal with matters which are still the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. By so doing, the Committee inexplicably allowed itself to be used as a mouthpiece of needless and insensitive state-sponsored propaganda.
- We note that the Committee, by casting aspersions on the innocent family of Kaaka, without just cause, made a deliberate decision to punch down on a helpless family, and thereby intentionally prejudice the fair trial rights of their son Baba Iddi.
- We are disappointed that a Committee chaired by a Justice of the Court of Appeal, which should have known better, failed to exercise appropriate judicial restraint but instead elected to intentionally prejudice the fair trial rights of a citizen of this Country.
- We are saddened that the Committee’s actions appear to have been intentionally done to compromise the investigation into the murder of Kaaka; and to divert attention from the aspects of the Report which found that the Military shot at, killed and maimed citizens of this country, without reasonable justification.
- We reject the calculated attempts by the Committee to dissociate the threats, attack and murder of our fallen comrade Kaaka from his work as a social media activist and condemn in no uncertain terms the steps taken to sway public attention from bringing the real culprits of this heinous crime to book.
- We find the throwaway comment in the Report that the use of live ammunition against the people of Ejura achieved its intended purpose of dispersing the crowd, as insensitive and lacking maturity.
- We are disappointed that the Report assumes that throwing money at the families of the victims of Ejura, suffices to silence their call for justice and would excuse their refusal to demand the prosecute of those responsible for these heinous crimes against the Ejura Community.
- We find the proposal that “a sports and other recreational facilities be established in Ejura to re-channel the energies of the youth”; as insufficiently thought-through, unexplained and irresponsible. In addition, we consider that proposal and how it was framed to be dismissive of the justified pain of an entire community that is still battling with the trauma of the state sanctioned violence, murder and terror that was unleashed on them.
- We are disappointed that the Committee makes no reasoned recommendation, about the legal actions that need to be taken to hold the persons connected with the incidents criminally liable for the murders and maiming of the residents of Ejura.
- We find it absurd that even though the Report establishes several lapses in police actions, including instances of deliberate perjury and false testimonies, the Committee proposes no substantive punitive actions against the officials affected.
We charge the Government and relevant state institutions to take immediate steps to provide justice for the family of Kaaka and the people of Ejura.
Fighter Nii Ayi Opare
National Spokesperson
Economic Fighters League
+233 24 305 7600
Fighter John Koomson
National Spokesperson
Economic Fighters League
+233 55 404 4663
April 26, 2022
June 28, 2021
Leave a Comment