The Accra Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service has successfully obtained an injunction to halt the planned demonstration by the Minority in Parliament due to disagreements concerning the intended route for the protest scheduled for Tuesday.
The Minority planned to stage a protest, named ‘Occupy BoG,’ on September 5th, aimed at demanding the resignation of the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Ernest Yedu Addison, and his two deputies.
The demonstration, a march from Parliament House to the Central Bank’s headquarters, aimed to intensify their call for the resignations.
However, the police raised concerns with the proposed route, citing the Central Bank’s headquarters as a security zone.
They engaged with the organizers on August 23rd, assuring them of security arrangements to facilitate their constitutional right to protest. Nevertheless, they pointed out that the selected routes could pose risks to public order and safety.
In response to the police’s concerns, the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, wrote back on August 28th, rejecting the alternative routes suggested by the police.
He stressed that denying them the opportunity to conclude their protest at the Bank of Ghana’s headquarters, citing it as a security zone, contradicted the Ghana Police Service’s motto of “Service and Integrity.”
Before the situation could settle, the police managed to secure a High Court injunction on August 30th against the upcoming demonstration.
The injunction, obtained by Superintendent of Police (SP) Isaac Yeboah, targets key members of the Minority, including Dr. Ato Forson, Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Masawudu Mahamah, Bernard Mornah, and Rex Omar, all associated with Arise Ghana, a group pledging participation in the protest.
The Court has scheduled a hearing on the matter for Monday, September 4th.
