On Wednesday, a large number of Kubori residents in the Yagaba-Kubori District of the North East Region took to the streets to protest what they claim are ongoing acts of police brutality in their neighbourhood. According to the locals, the police raided the Kubori neighbourhood at two in the morning on June 18 and detained roughly 25 inhabitants in connection with the death of a suspected robber.
The locals gave the police a 24-hour deadline to free the four people still in jail at a press conference. The issue, according to the group going by the name Kubori Millennium Club, is not only concerning but also has the potential to throw the neighbourhood into chaos and instability.
The group’s spokesperson, Seidu Damba Abdulai, defended the execution of the supposed robber and charged the area police commander with involvement. “In the laws of the country, when you are under attack, you have the right to defend yourself. We have no doubt in our mind that our people here are under attack,” he said.
A 40-year-old victim of alleged police brutality, who currently can not sit on his own as a result of the alleged attack, shared his ordeal with Citi News. “My whole body, my neck and head, are paining me. The police held my neck and wanted to cut it. My eyes are no longer able to see properly. They used the back of their gun to hit me, and I was crying. My mother came, and they pushed her down several times.” “What we need is justice, they should treat me to be able to continue with my farming. I am a farmer and that is what I do to feed my family, Now I can not sit, please they should treat me,” he added.
A mother pleading with the police to free her son, who is among those being held and is a BECE candidate, wants him to attend school to study for the examinations. “My son is writing BECE this year. I am pleading with the police to feel pity and fear God and then release my son so that he can prepare for the exams. His colleagues are in school learning and preparing, but he is not. I am begging them to release my son for me.”
