The Ghana Police Service has announced a total of sixty one electoral and post electoral incidents nationwide.
According to a statement issued by the security agency on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, twenty one of the recorded incidents are “true cases of electoral violence, six of which involved gunshots, resulting in the death of five”.
“The National Election Security Taskforce (NESTF) has policed the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections professionally and lauds the public for their cooperation with pre-election security measures put in place and executed through the electioneering period.
“… between 0700 hours of 7th December, 2020 and 1000 hours of 9th December, 2020; the Joint Operation Centre of the NESTF has recorded a total of sixty-one (61) electoral and post electoral incidents nationwide. Twenty-one of the incidents are true cases of electoral violence, six of which involve gunshots resulting in the death of five”.
Outlining the various cases involving gunshot incidents, the statement revealed that, Central region, precisely the Awutu Senya East constituency recorded two injured from a shooting incident by civilian(s) in the community during election period on 07-12-20.
The Odododiodio constituency in the Greater Accra region also recorded two deaths with six persons injured from a shooting incident by civilian(s) in the community during post-election period on 07-12-20.
Similarly, Ablekuma Central recorded four injured including a policeman from a shooting incident at the collation centre during postelection period on 08-12-20.
Trending in the news, Techiman South constituency in the Bono East region saw two dead and four injured from shooting by security personnel at the collation centre during post-election period on 08-12-20.
“Northern region, Savelugu Constituency: a shooting incident by civilian(s) at the Police Station, when people besieged the station during post-election period on 08-12-20.
“Northern region, Savelugu Constituency: 1 dead and 3 injured from a shooting incident by civilian(s) in the community during post-election period on 08-12-20.
The National Election Security Taskforce (NESTF) reckoned the incidents recorded as one that “could have been avoided and therefore condemns their occurrence and promises to investigate each one of them”.
Another worrying trend was the circulation of old videos sighted by NESTF which “portrayed as incidents related to the ongoing electioneering exercise”.
“The videos included police regional simulation exercises in the run up to this year’s elections, where the media were invited to cover as part of Police engagement with the media, as key stakeholders of Ghana’s democracy”.
Urging the public to remain calm through this period of waiting for results to be declared by the Electoral Commission, it condemned the surfacing of such misleading information.
“Once again, the NESTF condemns these publications and warns that it is against the law for any person to send false or misleading communication. Any person who indulges in such will be arrested and prosecuted”.
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