Bortianor shooting: MP justifies parliament’s call for private investigation
Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, a member of parliament for Wa Central, has denounced police actions that resulted in the deaths of individuals believed to be landguards in Bortianor. Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews he said, “We detest any situation where the police rather than directly arresting people will kill them even before they are investigated, it…
Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, a member of parliament for Wa Central, has denounced police actions that resulted in the deaths of individuals believed to be landguards in Bortianor.
Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews he said, “We detest any situation where the police rather than directly arresting people will kill them even before they are investigated, it is something that parliament is thoroughly against and we will always call for further investigations.”
He said that it was part of the reason they [parliament] had requested investigations to determine the veracity of the police statements when asked what other course of action should have been taken given that police accounts suggest they were confronted with weaponry.
The Inspector-General of Police should “mount policemen who are going on operations with cameras so that when they are operating they should demonstrate that,” Dr. Pelpuo, who is also the President of the African Parliamentarians Forum on Population and Development, added.
He emphasized that because the occurrence interested parliament, the body will go above and beyond to uncover answers.
Samuel Atta Akyea, a lawmaker from Abuakwa South, stated on the same program that it is appropriate for Parliament to demand an independent probe into the police death of five people at Bortianor who were thought to be landguards.
He claims that the security agency is equipped with the necessary knowledge and experience to conduct operations and inquiries without endangering or injuring people.
This makes the police’s explanation for the killing insufficient, and it has to be looked into.
On June 8, while conducting an anti-robbery and anti-land guard operation in Bortianor, Accra, the police shot five individuals.
In a news release issued four days after the incident, the police defended their course of action by claiming that the suspects had been terrorizing locals and landowners in Bortianor and adjacent areas.
Community members assert that the police reports are untrue.
