Ghana Bar Association alarmed at spate of murders in Ghana

The Ghana Bar Association has added its voice to the barrage of condemnations trailing recent blatant murders in Ghana and is demanding action from institutions entrusted with security and safety.

The GBA recalls the murder of “the Head Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church, and the employee of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Tiger Eye Private Investigative Team respectively who have unfortunately lost their lives over the past couple of weeks gruesomely”, and says it “finds the brazen nature of some of the murders and the blatant disregard for human life by the perpetrators very disquieting and frightening.”

The association voiced its condemnation in a statement it issued Tuesday, in which t extended its condolences to the bereaved families and called for action on the part of the state in safeguarding the lives Ghanaians and all in the country.

• Rev Dr David Nabegmado was stabbed to death in the morning of Sunday, 30th December, 2018 at the church premises while preparing for a sermon by his nephew.
• Mrs Josephine Asante, Marketing and Public Relations Manager of Tema Port, was stabbed to death in her bedroom in the night of Saturday, January 12, 2019.
• Joseph Migal Jinjer, an Engineer of the Ghana Water Company Limited was travelling with some members of his family to Bunkpurugu on New Year's eve when he was shot and killed by armed men at Langbinsi, in the East Mamprusi Municipality in the Northern Region.
• Hussein-Suale, an investigative journalist and member of the Tiger Eye PI, was shot three times by yet to be identified gunmen at Madina on Wednesday, January 16, 2019.

“The right to life is a fundamental human right, which is guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. The lives of Ghanaians and that of persons residing in Ghana must be protected and nobody should be subjected to violence of any form except as is permitted by law. The state is therefore under a duty to ensure the safety and security of its citizens and residents at all times. The recent spate of murders and the resultant heightened sense of insecurity is a threat to Ghana's democracy. Safety and security are essential components of the rule of law and must be protected and guarded by the State.

“The Ghana Bar Association consequently calls upon the Minister of Interior, and the Inspector General of Police to put in place, without delay, measures that will guarantee the safety and security of Ghanaians. The GBA further calls upon the Government to ensure that the Ghana Police Service is well resourced to enable it maintain law and order. 

“The Bar further calls upon the security and law enforcement agencies to ensure a swift and thorough investigation of all the murder cases, the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators. The perpetrators must not escape from justice.

“The GBA also finds it worrying the spectre of lawyers appointed to defend persons in such cases. It is totally unacceptable for a lawyer giving the best representation to his or her client in any case to be harassed or harangued in any manner as this is the bedrock of the rule of law which we as a people have accepted as our way of life.

“We hereby reiterate our previous calls for respect for the rule of law, freedom of the Press, the right to free speech and the peace and security of our country to be guarded jealously”, said the statement signed by Anthony Forson, Jnr. and Yaw Acheampong Boafo, National President and National Secretary respectively.

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