Hon, Sheikh Alhaji Manaf Mohamadu Osumanu, the defeated parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso North Constituency of the New Patriotic Party in 2020 has condemned the bloody clash between two gangs at Nima-Mamobi, Accra.
In a press release signed by his Personal Assistant, Sheikh Abdul-Fattah Lantei Twahir Akinyel described the act as beastly which called for serious attention.
Hon Manaf indicated that based on the degree of the offence, he anticipates that the police would intensify their investigations and bring all those involved to book to serve as a deterrent to others.
According to him, the proliferation of “karfe” (as the term goes now for gun) in the hands of many of the youth are worrisome and the earlier some concrete steps and measures are taken by the Police to retrieve these deadly weapons the better it will be for ensuring the security of the populace
He calls on all the stakeholders of the two communities to seriously come together to look at the underpinning factors contributing to these gangsterism and violence.
Read full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE NIMA-MAMOBI VIOLENCE OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022.
FROM HON. SHEIKH ALHAJI MANAF MOHAMMADU OSUMANU, PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATE OF THE NPP FOR AYAWASO NORTH CONSTITUENCY FOR THE 2020 ELECTIONS.
January 24, 2022.
It is with a very high sense of sadness, mixed with consternation and bewilderment, that I saw the scenes of dreadful violence said to have involved some two gangs, which I will describe as unprecedented in the history of Nima and Mamobi. What Ghana, and in fact the whole world, saw on that fateful day of Tuesday, January 18, 2022, will certainly be remembered as a very dark day for the two communities of Nima and Mamobi. I cannot find the words to describe how sad I felt about the incident as a concerned citizen of the two communities first of all, but most importantly as a contestant in the parliamentary race in the 2020 general elections for the Ayawaso North Constituency seat standing on the ticket of the NPP.
I would like to join the many concerned and well-meaning Ghanaians, especially from the two communities, to register my displeasure and condemnation at those brazen and unconscionable acts of wielding guns and cutlasses and inflicting deadly wounds by those persons involved in the violence. Having said that, I believe the Ghana Police Service must as a matter of urgency speed up its investigations and get to the bottom of whatever triggered the violence and bring all those involved to book for not only the violent attacks but also for breaching the peace of the communities, which can have a negative effect on the psyche of the whole nation; information that reached me was to the effect that the following Wednesday which is the Market Day of the Nima market did not witness the usual crowdy and bustling economic and commercial market activities. Moving forward, I call on all the stakeholders of the two communities to seriously come together to look at the underpinning factors contributing to these gangsterism and violence, and this time not to tinker with the problem.
The Imams, the Chiefs, the Opinion Leaders, the Assemblies and we the political actors too must begin to engage and search for lasting solutions. The stories we hear of the proliferation of “karfe” (as the term goes now for gun) in the hands of many of the youth are worrisome and the earlier some concrete steps and measures are taken by the Police to retrieve these deadly weapons the better it will be for ensuring the security of the populace. We hear about it, but now we have seen it live before our naked eyes. Education, Education, Education, my people. Education is the game changer and the leveler in the long term to stemming this tide of our youth finding themselves at bases and ghettos idling away their precious time, and getting involved in hooliganism, gangsterism, hard drugs, violence and other criminal activities. With the Nana Akufo Addo flagship Free SHS programme in place now, the challenge is how we will ensure we get our children into the streams of nursery, KG, primary and JSH, ensuring their retention at these levels, and also ensuring they do well to continue to the tertiary level with focus on technical, vocation and entrepreneurial skills acquisition. The greatest benefit of education is nurturing citizens with high levels of civility and consciousness of personal responsibility. Our votes at elections must bring dividends and positive results to us, and that is the development and transformation of our communities. So, if we do not see these results reflecting in the votes that we cast at elections, then of what use are those or the party we cast our votes for! My advice immediately also goes to our homes in our communities. Parents and guardians must take their responsibilities of bringing up, nurturing and caring for their children and those put under their care seriously. The breakdown of the homes with the parents and the children going their own ways and many of the children loitering around and spending their productive times at bases are all contributing to the youth being lured into anti-social activities. Once again and lastly, let me reiterate the point that the Police up their game and make their presence very visible in our communities, especially Nima and Mamobi; their presence there now coming on the heels of the unfortunate incident last week must not be a nine-day wonder. I plead with the Nima Divisional Police Commander to seriously consider this a priority.
Thank you
Contact: Sheikh Abdul-Fattah Lantei Twahir Akinyel(Personal Assistant to Alhaji Manaf)0244 64 23 85/0267 038 441.
TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES
Credit: King Amoah
