We have heard of many incidents of abuse by the Police and people in authority. Unfortunately, one such recent abuse was meted out to a former Speaker of UCC House of Parliament by name Alhassan Jinjiwa Ishaq.
The Former Speaker narrated his ordeal as follows:
“It all started when a commercial vehicle I was travelling by to Sunyani had a problem and could not continue the journey. A new vehicle was called to come and take us to continue the journey. The vehicle that came did a U-Turn on a part of the road which was deemed illegal and was apprehended by two police who were driving in a private vehicle.
These Police men in uniform called a KMA towing vehicle to tow the arrested vehicle to the police station. The KMA towing vehicle that came did a similar U-Turn at the spot where the apprehended bus had done the U-Turn earlier.
Upon seeing that, I took a photo of the KMA towing vehicle doing the U-Turn. The KMA task force and the Police approached me to ask why I took a photo of the vehicle. I responded, “the vehicle also did a similar U-Turn”.
It is worth noting that, the very place where the incident occurred was a one way route and there was no way another vehicle could have access to unload the earlier faulty vehicle without doing a U-Turn.
They then ceased my phone and asked me to follow them to the station for my phone. I said their actions were “preposterous and ridiculous to its apogee” which one of them thought was an insult. He continued asking me in twi what I meant by that.
I got the Police station and one of the commanders asked me what my issue is after the task force had gone to narrate their side of the story to him. I replied I took a photo of a towing vehicle that made an illegal U-Turn. The commander then directed for my detention.
A Journalist who was at the scene followed me to the station and they told him he is not related to me or the issue and they turned him away.
A lawyer friend I called earlier came and they told him I was not in. The police officer in charge who said I was not there was actually the same person who wrote my details and took my phone and luggage before detaining me.
I was detained for a while with no statement taken from me neither was anything done about the arrest of the driver. The towing did not continue and the driver was set free, yet I was still detained with my right to a Lawyer denied by a lying Police Officer.
One of the Police Officers who followed the driver to the station came to me in the detention cell and in front of the officers in charge said their boss’ instruction was for me to be kept in detention until after 5pm when they close.
And so you see, my rights were abused for no good reason. From 8am to 12 noon, I was in detention.”
The Former Speaker wishes this injustice does not affect others and so is speaking out about the misapplication of power and justice.
