Ayawaso-West Wuogon by-election victims sue government

Twenty-three persons who claim to have suffered various forms of injury in the violence that rocked the Ayawaso-West Wuogon by-election on January 31 this year have sued the government over what they describe as “violations of their fundamental human rights”.

The applicants alleged that the National Security team deployed to police the by-election assaulted, arrested and detained them, leading them to suffer varying forms of injury.

In a suit filed yesterday at the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court by their counsel, Mr Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, the applicants are seeking among other reliefs, a total of GH¢5.75 million as compensation.

Each applicant is seeking GH¢250,000 as compensation.

Another relief being sought by the applicants is a declaration that the alleged assaults, arrest and detentions “are a violation of their fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution”.

Applicants

One of the applicants, Mr Ishawu Yaro, who is said to have suffered gunshot wounds, initiated the application for himself and on behalf of the other 22 persons.

The rest of the applicants include Francis Azugba, Abdul Razak Gariba, Umar Salifu, Abdul Rakim-Shaibu, Eric Donkor, Shaibu Suleman and Ibrahim Zakari.

Others are Samuel Fialu, Hudu Seidu, Muzamil Munir, Mohammed Abdul Latif, James Moore, Aminu Mohammed, Shaibu Abubakar, Isaac Doe Kujo and Yaro Ishao.

The rest are Abubakri Osuman, Mohammed Alhassan, Ibrahim Abdallah, Alhaji Bash, Hamidu Ahmadu, Bala Haruna and Harvey T. Nelson.

Applicants’ case

In an affidavit deposed by Yaro in support of the motion, the 23 applicants said on the day of the by-election, they were at the residence of the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC’s) parliamentary candidate to share food and accreditation to the party’s polling stations.
 
According to the applicants, they were in the house when some men wielding guns and wearing T-shirts with the inscription NSC came to the area.

“At some point in time, confusion broke out in the vicinity of the NDC parliamentary candidate’s home between the crowd that had gathered and the men in uniform, and I heard sporadic gunshots being fired by the men in uniform,” Yaro said in the affidavit.

According to Yaro’s statement in the affidavit, in the ensuing melee, he suffered gunshot wounds while the rest of the applicants were also injured.

Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh