Those Who Transformed The NPP's Private Militias Into Armed State Paramilitary Forces Must Be Tried For Treason

The issue of a political party (elected  to govern our nation for four years in what is a constitutional democracy), serreptitiously   turning it's private party militias into state-sponsored  paramilitary forces, is a very grave matter. It is a grave matter, precisely because arming a private militia, to transform  it into a state-sponsored paramilitary force, borders on treason, under the 1992 Constitution.

An alarming, and egregiously-violent   manifestation, of the dire consequences of  the formation of state-sponsored private armed militias - which are clearly unaccountable to even the leaderships of the nation's security agencies - was seen in a viral video clip, watched by millions around the globe, during the recent by-election at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.

Many who saw that viral video clip, reacted with revulsion to the scenes of gratitious violence, which they witnessed - horrified  by the display of impunity shown by a number of balaclava-clad thugs-in-uniform, assaulting innocent people, in an area in a constiterncy in which a by-election was taking  place.

For many who watched that viral video clip,  it was hard to believe that the barbaric scenes they were witnessing, actually occurred  in Ghana. That revulsion arose from the fact that many around the world regard  Ghana as a civilised nation, and stable African democracy, which is justly  held up to the world as a model democracy,  in a continent in which over the years, violence during elections have resulted in the destabilisation of many nations.

The more responsible sections of the Ghanaian media must reject the subtle  attempt to lessen the gravity of what is a very dangerous  development, and most  shameful occurrence, by labelling what is a political  party's own private militias, which have morphed into state-sponsored paramilitary forces, as  vigilante groups. They are not. There is a world of difference between vigilante groups and private militias bearing arms provided by the state.

As a matter of fact, vigilante groups often have common-good underpinnings, and arise when thoroughly-fed-up community groups feel that  law enforcement agencies consistently fail to punish wrongdoers in their midst, and therefore take the law into their own hands to exact justice, by meting out punishment  to wrongdoers themselves.

An  example of such vigilantism, is the  recent phenomenon of angry  youth in Asante Akim,  directly confronting nomadic herdsmen, who allegedly have been raping local women,  and also murdering protesting farmers, who complain that the herdsmen's cattle have been destroying their farms.

We are not a conquered and subjugated people, whom the New Patriotic  Party (NPP) vanquished in a battle, for us to come under the jackboots of brutish and uncivilised myrmidons-in-uniform, controlled by wealthy and powerful men with  dubious backgrounds, such as the Bernard Antwi-Bosiakos and Kennedy Adjapongs. One of the reasons some voted for Akufo-Addo to lead Ghana, was hope that he would  instil  discipline into society.

Conversely,  we can also vote his party out of power again, if that will free us from the clutches of marauding thugs-in-uniform, abusing our human rights with impunity. Furthermore,  Parliament must also investigate the matter of the morphing of the NPP's private militias into state-sponsored paramilitary forces, who are now threatening our freedoms, as a people.

Remaining a free people, with constitutionally guaranteed  rights, is something that the vast majority of the ordinary people of our country clearly cherish - which is why  those bearing ultimate responsibility  for the transformation of the NPP's armed private militias, into armed state paramilitary forces,  must be tried for treason.  Full stop. Haaba. We rest our case.