The Chief Justice nominee, Sophia Akuffo, has suggested that, effective and quality delivery of justice in the courts will help address the growing incidents of what has become known as ‘mob justice’ in the country.
According to her, many resort to ‘mob justice’ because of a “misunderstanding” of the legal processes.
Speaking during her vetting in Parliament, she said if given the nod, she will work to ensure that as much as it depends on her outfit, mob justice is minimized.
“Mob justice is a misnomer and it’s definitely not justice… Many times mob justice is based on a misunderstanding of [legal] processes. It could be because they didn’t understand why the person was freed or the perception that what is the point of reporting to the police or going to court about this matter or waiting for the judicial outcome because it will take too long,” she said.
“The other side of justice delayed is justice denied, is that justice hurried is justice buried. It is being able to strike that balance, that is the area of concern for the judicial system and for the judiciary, because so long as there is mob justice, it means something is not going right. At least, we in the judiciary will do our optimal to ensure that we are not the cause of mob justice,” she added.
Ghana is witnessing an increase in cases of ‘mob justice’ meted out to persons suspected to have committed various crimes or alleged to be witches or wizards.
In most instances, the victims are killed.
Recently, a military officer, Major Maxwell Mahama, was lynched and partly burnt by some residents of Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region on suspicion that he was an armed robber.
A similar incident occurred in the Upper East Region where a 67-year-old woman was lynched by some angry residents of Pelungu in the Nabdam District, who accused her of being a witch.
Meanwhile, the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has said the government is engaging with some security experts and other stakeholders to address the incidents of mob injustice across the country.
According to him, the incidents of mob justice is against the country’s laws and will not be tolerated.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
