Police yet to invite Hawa Koomson over gunshots at Kasoa registration centre
The Central Regional Police Command says it is yet to invite the Minister of Special Initiatives, Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson, to aid with investigations into the shooting incident at the Step to Christ registration centre at Kasoa on Monday.
Ms Hawa Koomson, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya East Constituency admitted in a television interview with Adom TV that she fired the warning shots to defend herself and that of her people after feeling threatened while touring registration centres in her constituency.
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When I got the information that people were being bussed from some places into my constituency, I couldn’t sit down for people to come and register in my constituency and elect an MP for the people of Kasoa…I work with men because I can’t work with women alone in this political enterprise. None of my men had guns on them when we got to the centre, I fired the shots myself. Yes, I gave those warning shots to protect myself, she said in the Adom TV interview.
The MP’s action has since been condemned by sections of the public who are calling for her arrest and subsequent dismissal by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
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Stonebwoy pulled a gun at an event and had to spend the night in a police station. Hawa Koomson pulled a gun and fired warning shoots among citizens she was escorted home by the same police to eat and sleep. If this doesn’t teach you any lesson in Ghana then sit down.
— Sung😍😍 (@mabr3moaden) July 21, 2020
Hon Hawa Koomson has confirmed she fired the warning shots at the polling station at Kasoa, my advise to the MP is that When the river dries up, we will all see where the crocodile sleeps. pic.twitter.com/lTZM0BSCVv
— CBiney Nixon (@CbineyN) July 20, 2020
Hon. George Andah Deputy minister of Communications Displaying a pump action Gun publicly today as a proof of their readiness to shoot and kill opposition supporters.
— Eugene O’Brien (@eclocks23) July 20, 2020
Wats happening in Kasoa
Hawa Koomson must be fired n processed for court #KickaNanaOut pic.twitter.com/hoEnVth3u4
But speaking on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, the Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Oppong said due process was being followed for her to aid with investigations.
“We have gathered information through our informants and also the media today that there are people who have voluntarily come out to confess their involvement in some of the activities that happened there. They are the people we are inviting to come and help us with investigations. We’ll invite Honourable Mavis Hawa Koomson to come and assist us, but then there is a procedure,” she said.
“If you intend to invite a sitting MP to come to the police station to assist with the investigation, there is a procedure so we have started the procedure as a police agency and it will be forwarded to her and we expect that she will assist us in this. Police is a procedural work and again we have the service instruction that gives us the directions on how you go about your investigations and we also have the criminal procedure which also aids us in doing our work,” DSP Oppong added.
Meanwhile, DSP Oppong says four persons have been arrested in connection with the disruptions at the registration centre.
Background
According to Ms Hawa Koomson, she received information last week that, members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were bussing people from outside the constituency, from Gomoa East and Nsawam to register at the Step to Christ polling station.
She claimed that particular polling station was her [NPP] stronghold and has never lost an election in that polling station [2012 and 2016].
She said she told her informant that when she sees it again, she should call her.
So when she got information again that it was happening, she decided to visit the registration.
According to her, when she arrived at the scene, there were some boys on motorbikes and she felt her manager and boys who had arrived at the scene were in danger so she fired the warning shots.
The incident occurred at the centre situated at the Step to Christ polling station.
Reports indicate there were other gunshots apart from the one from Hawa Koomson.
Some motorbikes were burnt at the centre and EC officials at the centre were attacked as well during the confusion which disrupted the registration process for a while.
The police later intervened and arrested four people after the shooting. A gun was seized by the police.
The Ghana Police has said the MP, Hawa Koomson will be invited as part of investigations.