Ghanaians Take Umbrage …Over Police Brutality At Midlands, Prez. Condemns Act

Ghanaians have expressed bitterness at the incident of police brutality at the Shiashie office of Midlands Savings and Loans, with majority calling for stringent sanctions against the bank as well as the police officer, L/Cpl Godzi Frederick Amanor.

Individuals, as well as corporate organizations and pressure groups, have all risen up against the act by the police.

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says he supports the sanctions meted out against the L/Cpl Godzi Frederick Amanor, the police officer who was seen in a video brutalizing a woman at the Midland Savings and Loans.

In the video, which has since gone viral, L/Cpl Amanor, armed with a rifle, is seen beating Madam Patience Osafo, who was at the time holding her grandchild, several times on the head, first with an umbrella, and then with his fists, after she had gone to Midland Savings and Loans to retrieve GH₵270 she had deposited with the company.

Speaking on the matter at Nalerigu, on Saturday, 21st July, 2018, at the commencement of his 3-day tour of the Northern Region, President Akufo-Addo described the incident as unfortunate, stressing that “Police men are meant to protect citizens, and not to assault citizens.”

Following the interdiction of L/Cpl Amanor, the President indicated that “the measures that the IGP has taken to sanction the erring policeman, and to make sure these things don’t happen again, have my complete support. I support 100% the measures he has taken, so that we can stop these incidents from proliferating.”

Pressure groups like Occupy Ghana wants Midland Savings and Loans be investigated for its role in the assault of a nursing mother at their premises by a police officer.

They believe the Company owes a duty of care to the lady and all customers who visit their premises and their failure to do this cannot be left unsanctioned.

In a statement, the Group said “it appears the lady was assaulted as a result of an instruction by the Company’s officers to the offending police officer to remove her from the premises. Then they either stood by while she was subjected to the beatings or only made half-hearted attempts to stop it.

“That suggests that the Company and its officers, at the very least, instigated, facilitated, encouraged or promoted the policeman’s offences,” the statement added.

Also the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has condemned in no uncertain terms, the horrific act by a police officer, who was on guard duty at a Midland Savings and Loans branch, captured in a video assaulting a nursing mother in a banking hall.

In a press statement NCCE described the act as “outrageous, unacceptable and an affront to the dignity and fundamental human rights of the victim and the baby” adding “the cruelty and brutality of the police officer further breaches provisions of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”

It said,  “Articles 12 (1) states that : ‘The fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in this chapter shall be respected and upheld by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary and all other organs of government and its agencies and 15 (1) states that: ‘The dignity of all persons shall be inviolable’”

The commission, therefore, called on the appropriate authorities to fast track investigations and ensure the perpetrators are punished duly, and asked for compensation for the victim for the “physical and psychological trauma that she has suffered.”

The communique signed by the Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Mrs Joyce Afutu, also implored the Police administration to hem brutalities meted at civilians by Police officers to avert mob justice.

However, the Ghana Police Service has since condemned the behavior of L/Cpl Amanor, describing it as “being contrary to professionalism and tenets of the ongoing Police Transformation Programme”, and have, thus, commenced investigations into the conduct of the officer after his arrest.