Navy-Tema Youth clash: GaDangme Council condemns use of live ammunition by Navy

The GaDangme Council has criticized the Navy for using live ammunition during this year's Kpejoo Festival in Tema, which led to fatalities.

“It is the view of the GaDangme Council that the use of live ammunition by the military during a traditional festival is a gross violation of human rights and an abuse of power. The military’s role is to complement the police to protect and defend the citizens, not to harm or kill them.

“The indiscriminate use of live ammunition in a crowded public space demonstrates a lack of restraint and disregard for the safety and well-being of the people, the President of GaDangme Council, Ayikoi Otoo, indicated in a statement.

“Furthermore, the use of excessive force by the military reflects a systemic issue of impunity and lack of accountability within the security forces. The culture of impunity enables such abuses of power to go unchecked and perpetuates a cycle of violence and injustice.”

Below is the full statement

Statement Of GaDangme Council Condemning The Use of Live Ammunition During This Year’s Kpejoo Festival of The People of Tema Resulting in Deaths

The GaDangme Council has received the shocking news that the Ghana Navy allegedly used live ammunition to control crowd resulting in the tragic deaths of two youth during this year’s Kplejoo Festival which is a long-standing tradition of the Ga-Dangme Community in Tema during which a lot of youthful energy is brought onto the streets. The incident has ignited outrage and concern among the public particularly the people of the Tema Traditional Area.

It is the view of the GaDangme Council that the use of live ammunition by the military during a traditional festival is a gross violation of human rights and an abuse of power.The military’s role is to complement the police to protect and defend the citizens, not to harm or kill them.

The indiscriminate use of live ammunition in a crowded public space demonstrates a lack of restraint and disregard for the safety and well-being of the people.

Furthermore, the use of excessive force by the military reflects a systemic issue of impunity and lack of accountability within the security forces. The culture of impunity enables such abuses of power to go unchecked and perpetuates a cycle of violence and injustice.

It would be recalled that in 2023 two fishermen lost their lives during a customary Homowo festival fishing duly sanctioned by the Tema Traditional Council. The Ghana Navy patrol speedboat allegedly crashed into the canoe without warning resulting in fatalities.

On that occasion the Tema Traditional Council expressed disappointment and called for better conduct from officers, emphasizing the need for thorough investigation and accountability but alas the impunity has repeated itself.

The GaDangme Council considers it essential to speak out against such flagrant violations of human rights and demand accountability from the authorities responsible for these actions.

Moreover, the tragic deaths of the two youth during the traditional festival highlight the urgent need for reforms in the military and security forces.

Proper training, oversight, and accountability mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that such incidents do not occur again in the future. The Navy must be held to a higher standard of conduct and must be held accountable for their actions.

Consequently, the GaDangme Council condemns in the strongest terms the use of live ammunition by the Navy during the traditional festival and calls for a thorough investigation into the incident.The GaDangme Council demands that those responsible for the deaths of the two youth be held accountable and brought to justice.

The GaDangme Council condemns the high-handedness of the Navy and calls for reforms within the security forces to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Justice must be served, and those responsible for the tragic deaths of the two youth must be held accountable.

Sgd Hon J.Ayikoi Otoo President GaDangme Council