The acting general secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party John Boadu has said vigilante groups such as the Invisible and Delta Forces are part of the NPP and will continue to exist.
The comment comes after a report by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) said Ghanaians want such groups disbanded and offendning members prosecuted by government.
The survey which interviewed 2,400 adult Ghanaians between 9 and 25th September 2017 said: “They [Ghanaians] want the police to handle suspected criminals and the courts to prosecute and punish those involved in unlawful acts of vigilantism.”
“However, the fact that about one in seven Ghanaians think it is sometimes justified for citizens to take the law into their own hands is disturbing and should be addressed,” noted the report.
Series of acts of vigilantism and mob justice were recorded last year. Notable among them was the brutal lynching of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, the soldier who was mistaken for an armed robber at Denkyira Obuasi in the Central region, where he was on detachment duties.
Speaking to Bola Ray on Starr Chat Wednesday, Mr. Boadu said the vigilante groups are essential to the party.
“In times of peace people think that they must not prepare for war, it is rather in times of peace that you should always prepare. I’m giving you the background of what we found ourselves, to the extent that our headquarters was vandalized all our resources, our materials were destroyed. We must protect ourselves, we must make sure that at least our properties and persons are protected.
“It is for that reason that we have young men who help in protecting us and I’ll support them any day. That’s not to say that they must take the law into their own hands, no, they must work within the law. They exist, they’ll continue to exist.”
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