#DumsorMustStop: Ghana Police Service files injunction against demonstration

Some conveners of the #DumsorMustStop demo at the Police HQ

The Ghana Police Service has filed an injunction at an Accra High Court to prohibit a planned demonstration under the banner #DumsorMustStop.

The demonstration, scheduled for May 25, 2024, at Revolution Square, is intended to protest the erratic electricity supply in Ghana.

However, Superintendent Isaac Nicholas Kwabena Yeboah, representing the Ghana Police Service, on May 20, 2024, submitted an affidavit pleading with the court to order the organisers to halt the event entirely.

“TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Court shall be moved by Counsel for and on behalf of the Applicant herein praying this Honourable Court for an order prohibiting the respondents from holding an intended picketing fixed for 25th May, 2024 at the Revolution Square, upon the grounds contained in the accompanying affidavit and for such further order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit,” the application read.

The Ghana Police Service cited security concerns due to the proximity of the protest site to the Jubilee House, a designated security zone.

The police have thus proposed that the demonstrators reconsider the location of their picketing to avoid potential security risks, especially in light of the upcoming elections.

The court is expected to hear the motion on May 24, 2024, a day before the planned event.

This development follows a notice of intended picketing received by the Greater Accra Regional Police Command earlier this month, signed by Yvonne Nelson, Selorm Dramani Dzramado, and Henry Osei Akoto, who are leading the demonstration.

The #DumsorMustStop campaign is a citizen-led movement in Ghana that protests against the frequent power outages known as "Dumsor."

Initiated in 2015 and led by figures like Yvonne Nelson, it calls for government accountability to resolve the power crisis.

The campaign has seen a resurgence in 2024 following a series of recurring power outages which have plagued the nation since early 2024.

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