Poverty, unlawful arrest force people to migrate - Human rights activist

A Human Right activist, Madam Aku James, has explained that there are several reasons that force people to migrate from their countries to seek for greener pastures or political asylum in another place.

She mentioned economic and unlawful arrest and persecution as the key factors that push people to migrate from one geographical area to another in search of secure and better lives.

The Human Rights activist made these observations during a sensitization program on the positive and negative trends of migration organized by a Civil Society group called Friends Society, at Nima, a suburb of Accra.

Madam Aku whose friend fled Ghana in 2012 in order to avoid the unlawful arrest and torcher of the police urged the youth especially Muslims to be law abiding citizens and good ambassadors of the Islamic faith.

Describing how her friend by name Zaid Amadu Taribawu fled Ghana, she noted that in 2012, an armed robber by name Rabiu was killed at Ogbojo , a suburb of Accra during a shootout between his gang and the police.

She said Rabiu and her friend incidentally live in the same house at Nima but until his death in the shootout, the house knew of Rabiu’s activities as a notorious armed robber who has been on the Police wanted list for a long time.

But everyone is scared to go to the police because they think Rabiu gang may retaliate.

According to her, it wasn’t only Rabiu who lost his life during the shootout but a Police Officer whose name was withheld and another gang member of Rabiu called Sam Peter . Two members of the gang whose names were given as Raman and James, however, managed to escape which led to a manhunt for them by the Police.

About a Month after the incident, the Police she added in their quest to arrest the two gang members at large visited her friend’s house at Nima to search Rabiu’s room which led to the retrieving of various weapons believed to be used by the gang in undertaking their nefarious activities.

The Police further questioned the people of the house of Rabiu’s activities and his gang as well as the whereabouts of the two at large gang members. They further threatened to arrest all male tenants of the house should they fail to give information that will lead to the arrest of the two gang members.

Madam Aku indicated that the Police true to their threats arrested all male occupants of her friend house where they were detained and torched for days before her friend was released.

‘’Upon his release and fearing for his life, my friend fled the area into hiding until he was able to get a traveling visa to Mexico from where he managed to enter the United States where he is currently residing,’’ she noted.

She used the occasion to cautioned the Zongo and Muslim youth at large to play their civic roles in ensuring a peaceful, free and fair December general elections. ‘’ We must desist from been used as political thugs to foment violence and tensions during electioneering periods by the so called political parties and their activists’’.

She also questioned how the Police and other security agencies sometimes unlawfully arrest and detain people for longer periods without any charges. The Police must always be up to the task in order to win the confidence of the people.

She commended the organizers for the platform created to educate the youth on the effects of migration.