A pro-opposition group, “Volta 4 Change”, whose planned health walk at Ho in the Volta Region suffered a hiccup after the police stopped them, have lashed out at the service.
According to them, the Police blocked their legitimate exercise over what they described as “order from above nonsense.”
During the health walk on Saturday, the group was stopped at a point by the police although they had met requirements of the Public Order Act. The about 3o police officers from the SWOT team, explained that they were ordered from above to stop the protest, an explanation that did not go down well with the organizers.
After deliberations for over an hour, the police eventually allowed the walk dubbed ‘March For Change’ to go ahead
The “Volta 4 Change” group in a statement expressed disappointment in the conduct of the Police.
They stated that the Police “sought to halt, intimidate and aggressively threaten us in an attempt to block a peaceful health march, details of which had been extensively discussed and agreed upon with them.”
“We are therefore in a state of utter surprise as to why the Ghana Police will, on the morning of the March, come in to disperse the peaceful and lawful gathering with no sensible reason, under the flimsy refrain of ‘Order from Above.’”
Demo leaders collapsed
In 2014, two leaders of a group that was demonstrating in Ho in the Volta Region collapsed when they went to present a petition to the Volta Regional Minister.
The group was protesting against what they described as government’s neglect of the developmental needs of the region which is mostly seen as the political world bank of the governing National Democratic Congress.
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By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana