By Benjamin A. Commey
Accra, Feb 04, GNA— Mr Kofi Bentil, a Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, has called for a “holistic State security system” to deal with the conflict in Bawku to end all killings.
His comments come on the back of recent alleged killings of some ten civilians in Bawku by the Military deployed to restore calm in the town.
The Military has, however, denied the accusations.
Contributing to discussions on the issue on an Accra-based radio station, on Saturday, monitored by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Bentil said the State must take absolute control of the situation to end all such gruesome killings.
He indicated that the State’s ‘poor handling’ of the conflict over the years was worrying and could have dire consequences for the entire country in future if the citizens were felt unprotected.
He said: “All of us, citizens, should be very worried because if people lose their lives in a State, which has a government and security agencies, and nothing serious seems to be done about it consistently, you will have a situation where people will give up and then, they will seek to defend themselves.”
Mr Bentil, therefore, emphasised the need for more seriousness to be given to the issue to find a lasting solution and restore peace in the area.
Mr Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, accused the Military of “clear and brutal” killing of citizens for no reason, saying the rights of the people of Bawku must be respected.
He called on the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to institute an investigation into the alleged killings of the civilians and ensure that justice was prevailed.
The MP also called on the State to immediately compensate families affected by the killings.
Meanwhile, Mr Adib Saani, a Security Analyst, has urged all factions involved in the Bawku conflict to give peace a chance.
He told the GNA in an interview that both parties should pursue peace by cooperating with Government and security agencies to achieve the desired outcome.
“Government must carry out thorough and independent investigations to restore confidence, otherwise, the people will become belligerent towards the military and further complicate issues,” he said, indicating that “cooperation will be possible if the people trust Government.”
Decades of chieftaincy/ethnic conflicts in Bawku has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, maimed many and destroyed properties worth thousands of Cedis.
GNA