Shaip Africa Foundation, a non-governmental organization that advocates for human rights, and several Nzema groups have remarked with dismay that, three months later, little to no effort has been made to guarantee that those responsible for Andrews Donkor’s crimes are prosecuted.
It is recalled that on Friday, April 1, 2022, a shooting incident involving some military personnel took place on the grounds of the Nkroful Magistrate court, leaving David Mohammed and Andrews Donkor, residents of Teleku Bokazo in the Western area, injured and dead.
A miscommunication between some youth and the military led to this sad occurrence, in which military soldiers fired multiple bullets into an unarmed crowd after seizing a phone from one of the teenagers who was allegedly snapping pictures on the courtyard of the Nkroful Magistrate Court.
According to eyewitness accounts, these military soldiers were supposedly dispatched by Adamus Resources Company on an operation to apprehend illegal miners who had invaded their concession and bring them before court the same day, but they ended up killing an innocent individual on the court grounds.
Shaip Africa Foundation and Nzema Koyele Eku in a joint press release issued on 12 July, 2022, the group questioned who ordered the Military officers to visit the Nkroful Court premises.
They reiterate that Andrews Donkor was not an illegal miner and neither did he partake in the “phone banter” between the Military and the youth adding that, Donkor was just an observer standing armfolded and did not participate in anything that took place at the court premises but ended up losing his life through the careless shooting by the military.
However, the two organizations, SHAIP Africa and Nzema Koyele Eku, applaud the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ellembele constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, for seeking justice by formally petitioning the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to look into the situation on April 21, 2022.
The group laments that they have seen no move made by CHRAJ to begin the inquiry process after two months, leaving the soldiers without punishment.
They applaud the Ellembele MP, Hon. Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, for his tireless efforts and urge CHRAJ to as a civil society group focused on promoting the interests of the underprivileged, they vehemently oppose any type of injustice and human rights abuses in society.
The human rights advocacy group is urging the government to take an active interest in this situation by supporting CHRAJ’s legal action because they firmly believe that ADAMUS Mining Company is vicariously liable for the actions that resulted in Andrews Donkor’s death. They also urge the government to hold military personnel and other complicit members of the Ghana Police Service accountable and pay damages.
In a related incident, Andrews Donkor will be laid to rest on August 17–18, 2022. In a joint press release, the group offers its sympathies to the family of their brother while also promising to support any efforts that are made to seek justice.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com