Mampong killings: We must bow our heads in shame!
Neither the President, John Mahama, nor the acting Inspector General of Police, John Kudalor, has commented on the cold-blooded killing of a teacher and his younger brother by the police at Mampong in the Ashanti Region two weeks ago.
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Francis Gbene, 33, and Thadeus Gbene, 29, were riding a motorcycle that fateful morning, reportedly to assist a colleague who had been attacked by robbers when they encountered the police.
What happened that morning remains a mystery, but what we know is that those two men — those two patriots — were recklessly gunned down and killed by the police without any known provocation whatsoever.
The police officials responsible for the brutal killing claimed they had assumed that since the men were riding a motorcycle, they must have been thieves fleeing the robbery scene the police were heading to. This, of course, represents very irrational, illogical and irresponsible reasoning, to put it mildly.
Needless to say, even if the two had been hired killers, the police would still have had no right whatsoever to murder them like guinea fowls.
You don't open fire recklessly just because you suspect someone is a thief and then invent a story to try and rationalise your action. That's crude and unacceptable. We don't live in a jungle.
This is a country, and there are rules that guide the conduct of everyone, including police officials. But that's a discussion for another day. (Note that this is not a criticism of the police service, but of rogue elements within the institution who don't regard the rule of law and due process, those who are essentially a law onto themselves).
Shocking
What irks me endlessly is the lack of public outrage at these killings and the indifference of the political establishment, religious organisations, civil society groups and so-called human right activists to what incontrovertibly and inescapably is a national tragedy.
In countries where the lives of citizens are valued, the President would have immediately addressed the nation to not only condemn the killings, but also to apologise to the family of the two. The Inspector General of Poloice (IGP) would have held a press conference to explain the circumstances that led to the killings and the efforts being made to ensure that such a situation never recurs. Opposition political parties would have weighed in, not only condemning the killings but also putting pressure on the government to punish those responsible and to reform the police service. Even ordinary citizens would have embarked on demonstrations to express their revulsion at the killings.
But, here, not even a whisper has been heard from any of the aforementioned.
The loud silence of the President, especially, Parliament, religious groups, civil society players and members of the opposition on what is clearly a reprehensible and barbaric killing of innocent Ghanaian citizens by the police sends an unmistakable message: Ordinary Ghanaians don't matter, and their lives mean nothing.
We saw the outrage that trailed the murder of Abuakwa Member of Parliament (MP), JB Danquah-Adu, (may his soul rest in peace) on Tuesday.
Presidential sympathy
President Mahama was quick to express shock and sorrow at the death of his "friend". The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo swiftly called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators. Other high-level political players also expressed their disgust and indignation at the killing.
The killing of the two brothers, Francis and Thaddeus, is even more serious than that of J.B. Danquah-Adu, because while the latter was killed by criminals, the brothers were killed by the police. (It's an unimaginably dangerous situation when law-abiding Ghanaians are liable to be killed by an institution that is paid with their taxes to protect them.)
But nothing has been said about it.
Who cares anyway? Nobody cares because those two were 'nobodies.' A 'mere' teacher - who gives a damn how you die?
Parliament is willing to summon and sanction police chiefs who threaten to arrest MPs for alleged wrongdoing, but will not even contemplate summoning the IGP or the Interior Minister to explain the brutal killing of two law-abiding and patriotic Ghanaians by reckless police officials.
The lesson here is very clear: We all must aspire to be rich and powerful if we want our lives to be valued. It's even more advisable to join the NPP or National Democratic Congress (NDC) - for if the two brothers had been known members of any of the two parties, we would have seen relentless demonstrations across the country in protest against their killings.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said that those who kept quiet in a situation of injustice had taken the side of the oppressor.
We all must bow our heads in shame for keeping quiet and condoning these unjust killings. Shame on us all.
May the souls of Francis and Thadeus rest in perfect peace. #AllLivesMatter
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Writer's Email: generalobour@outlook.com