Unlawful arrests and actions: State to pursue action against security officials
Media reports abound as to alleged unlawful arrests and detentions of persons and their alleged ordeals in the hands of persons alleged to be National Security Operatives
A Deputy Attorney General-designate, Mr.Alfred Tuah-Yeboah has indicated the need for the State to pursue an action against security officers who perpetrate unlawful arrests, acts, and actions on innocent citizens.
He made this known today, June 15, 2021, when he appeared before the Appointment Committee of Parliament to be vetted for his new role.
“The Police Service as we all know has been trained in such a way that they should carry out their activities lawfully. That, shows they’ve been trained.
“I also know the opinion of my boss to be. There are instances where people go into unlawful actions and acts, the state is sued, the state pays. It is time we pursue actions against such individuals who may want the state to get into judgment debts,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Tuah-Yeboah indicated his readiness to support the Attorney General to offer training to Police officials especially on how to treat people who are suspected to have infringed the laws of the country.
“But at times, you may have excesses. Ghana is a state party to the Convention Against Torture. Ghana is also a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)”
“All these treaties detail aspects of unlawful arrests and by our constitutional architecture, if you look at Article 293, a policeman who goes about, engaging in unlawful arrests, when such an accused person comes to sue, it is the state that suffers and for that matter, the Attorney General is here, I will support him in making sure that, officers in the Ghana Police Service are given the necessary training and also be made to understand that Ghana is a constitutional democracy,” he further stated.
Background
The culture of unlawful arrests, activities, actions, and excesses has become very rampant in recent times in Ghana. This usually involves either officers of the Ghana Police Service or the National Security operatives.
Media reports abound as to alleged unlawful arrests and detentions of persons and their alleged ordeals in the hands of persons alleged to be National Security Operatives.
