Vigilante groups won’t be tolerated – Police commander

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Ken Isaac Yeboah, Northern Regional Police Commander, has said vigilante groups in the that region would not be tolerated or allowed to operate.

He said the Police Command has noticed that these illegal vigilante groups, often associated with some political parties, and formed at various vantage points across the region, were behind many violent incidents in the region.

DCOP Yeboah said this when addressing the media and various political parties in Tamale on Friday, as part of the activities of the Northern Regional Security Taskforce.

He said some of the groups linked to various political parties in the region include “Azorka boys, Kandaha boys, Aluta boys and Ghewah boys”.

He said these groups were not recognized by the law, and that all members should comport themselves and abide by the dictates of the law.

DCOP Yeboah, who is also the Chairman of the Taskforce, said various political parties have also denounced such vigilante groups as illegal saying that “if any of those groups or any individual commits any crime, we shall deal with the full rigors of the law”.

He said in December, the country shall witness a competitive election to be fiercely contested by all political parties, and urged all stakeholders to contribute their part in ensuring a peaceful election.

DCOP Yeboah expressed unhappiness with the absence of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from the task-force meeting, saying that the meeting was crucial for all stakeholders in the coming elections.

He urged all political parties and aspirants contesting this year's elections, to remember that elections are a normal democratic process to choose good leaders to govern the country and this should not lead to violence.

He also called on the media to conduct themselves in a professional manner to consolidate the country's democracy saying “let your professional ethics guide your conduct as you go about practicing your profession”.

DCOP Yeboah urged the media to verify any information before reporting, adding that accuracy and objectivity must be canons that must guide the conduct of journalists.

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