Why Ghana no punish anybody afta bloody 2020 and 2024 elections wey kill 15 pipo

Elections for many parts of Africa now become do-or-die mata.

Dis mean say politicians wan win power by all means, so some dey use violence and oda means like vote-rigging to stay in power for many years.

But dis kain tins dey affect di democracy wey kontris for Africa say dem dey practice.

For Ghana, one investigation by di kontri Inspector General of Police (IGP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno into di violence wey kill 15 pipo during di 2020 and 2024 elections reveal some tins.

President John Mahama for di campaign ahead of di 2024 elections, promise say e go ensure pipo wey dey responsible for di death of pipo for di 2020 elections, go face di law.

In January dis year, afta he take office, president Mahama order di IGP to investigate di mata and submit di report to his office.

Afta eight months, di IGP submit di report.

Security analysts and many citizens say di findings of di investigation no "inspire confidence".

Many pipo say dem dey disappointed say afta all dis while (five years), di kontri no prosecute even one pesin for di violence and di shooting during di two elections wey kill 15 citizens, including teenagers.

Some of di tins di IGP taskforce investigations find

Di taskforce establish say eight pipo die during di 2020 elections when security pipo open fire into party supporters for some polling centres.

Dem also find say 40 pipo injure afta various incidents for polling centres during and afta di voting and counting process.

Di kontri interior minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak for one press conference to announce details of di report tok say so far dem identify 21 suspects responsible for di violence during di two elections.

Some of dis pipo be policemen and soldiers wey fire live rounds at polling centres during di elections, wey odas odas be political party supporters.

"Out of di 21 suspects, dem arrest four wey dem dey on police bail, five of dem dey remanded into prison custody wey di rest dey on di run," di interior minister tok.

About di status of di cases – di minister tok say "four cases dey court now, three dey under investigation, wey three odas dey di Attorney General's office for advice."

Di interior minister say govment dey committed to ensure justice for di victims no mata how long e go take.

Under di previous govment (President Nana Akufo-Addo en tenure), for four years, di police fail to prosecute anybody.

Di service for four years (2020 -2024) under di former IGP Dr George Akuffo Dampare say dem still dey investigate.

Di police at di time tok say dem no find di security officers wey fire dia weapons for di collation centre wey kill two pipo and injure nine odas for di Techiman South constituency for di Bono East region.

Civil society groups and oda human right agencies put pressure on di police but dem no deliver justice to di victims.

Di state fail to pay GHC270K ($25K) compensation to six victims of di Techiman South violence

On 2 September 2024, di High Court for Wenchi in di Bono East region order govment to pay total of GHc270K ($25K) to six victims of di 2020 electoral violence for Techiman.

Justice Frederick Nawurah wey preside ova di case tok say "dem abuse di right to life and dignity of di victims."

Di six pipo Suleman Elliasu, Abubakari Iddrisu, Alhassan Nasiru, Aremeyaw Alhassan, Alhassan Abdul-Rahman and Paul Asue - sue di govment to demand Ghc 25m compensation ($2.3m).

Father of one 18-year-old boy wey dem kill during di violence for Techiman also join di lawsuit at dat time.

Di judge rule say di security officers wey fire dia guns on di election day, abuse di rights of di victims wey he order say make dem prosecute dem.

He also order say as part of di compensation, make govment pay each of di six victims GHc 25k ($2.3k) wit an additional GHc20k ($1.9k) to cover legal fees during di trial.

Human rights groups and experts at dat time tok say dat compensation money be too small.

Oga for di Ghana Human Rights Commission, Joseph Whittal for one interview wit BBC Pidgin bifor di 2024 elections tok say dat money be chicken change.

"I agree wit pipo wey tok say di compensation be small, sake of to pay pesin Ghc45k at di time di cedi dey depreciate, wey cost of living togeda wit amount for medication and bills dey high."

"But di court look at di evidence bifor dem wey dem order dat kind amount – we believe say di compensation for be more than dat," oga Joseph Whittal add.

Afta dis court ruling in September, di state neva pay di compensation to di victims till di end of 2024 when di kontri go thru anoda election.

Victims still dey suffer; no compensation, no get justice

Elliasu Sulemana wey receive bullets for his right arm on election day for di collation centre in 2020, still no fit use di hand do anytin since.

Security officers for di centre fire into di crowd of party supporters dat day.

Elliasu tok BBC Pidgin say life dey show am pepper since dat fateful day of di incident.

"I dey work in di timber industry, I dey carry logs from di forest wey we dey take go di cities and towns, but I no fit do dat work again sake of I no fit use my right hand again."

He explain say afta dem fix metal inside his arm, he always dey feel pain, wey he no fit use dat hand to even chop food.

Elliasu tok BBC pidgin say "since 2020, I no fit work sake of my arm. I no fit use di arm carry anytin wey dem neva give us any compensation since. None of us receive any money from di govment also."

Di current president John Mahama during di 2024 election campaign promise di victims say his govment go compensate dem for dia injuries and di families of those wey die go also receive compensation.

But one year since president Mahama enta di presidency, dat compensation never reach di victims.

"We di victims dey on our own, nobody dey mind us, even di presidency wey promise us compensation, no deliver on dat promise. Make you pipo help us to get Justice," Elliasu Sulemana tok BBC Pidgin.

Family of 15-year-old Samira Zakaria wey also die during di 2020 elections for di Northern region of Ghana, say dem dey disappointed.

Her uncle Yakubu Zakaria say "election be to elect leaders, no be to kill pipo. My niece Samira die when bullet hit her for di party office. She no do anytin wrong."

Oda families still get pain for dia heart – afta wetin happun to dem during di two elections in 2020 and 2024.

As part of dia recommendations, di IGP special police taskforce say govment gatz to pay compensation to all di victims – both families of those wey die and di pipo wey hurt.

Dem also recommend say make di police receive orientation so say dem go stop dey use lethal force to control crowd.

Di taskforce also tok say election security gatz to dey coordinated well to determine when dem fit use force to control crowd.

'Five years without prosecution and justice to victims be unacceptable'

Some pipo say because di state no punish security officers and odas wey cause di death of eight and injury to 34 pipo during di 2020 elections, di officers get liver to do di same tin wey cause death of seven more pipo for di 2024 elections.

CSOs and human rights groups say dis record dey affect wetin dem describe as di democratic power of di kontri.

Executive Director for di Africa Centre for Security and Counterterrorism (ACSC), Emmanuel Kotin say "ibi shame say dem no punish anybody for five years now."

"Ghana get many laws – even recently we pass di anti-vigilantism law wey dey ban political parties from using vigilantes, but dem no prosecute even one pesin under dat law. We no be serious as a kontri," oga Emmanuel Kotin tok.

He explain "until we begin to enforce our laws, we just go dey waste taxpayers money to create dis laws for dis kontri."

"Di victims no get justice, ibi now dem start di process, we get long way to go."

"Until dem prosecute all di 21 suspects wey di IGP taskforce identify from dia investigations, di victims no go get justice," oga Kotin tok di state broadcaster GTV.

Di security expert also say time reach for di kontri to demand accountability from security officers.

"Ibi difficult tin to prosecute our security pipo and for dis case, ibi di actions of dis security personnel wey cause di death of seven out of di 15 deaths during di two elections. Until we begin to punish dem, dis tins go continue."

He also add his voice to di calls for compensation for di victims as well as psychological support.

"Di compensation no be only di money, di state also gatz to provide psychological support to dem as di court also dey work to bring dem justice – even though we know say di courts fit take years to deal wit dis kind mata."

Experts also dey demand reforms for di kontris electoral processes – so say political parties go support di electoral commission when dem dey organize elections, to reduce di tension and violence.

As prosecution dey delay, di families of di 15 pipo wey die and di 40 oda pipo wey suffer various injuries for di 2020 and 2024 elections go continue to suffer and tink say di state deny dem justice!