“Police were too lenient” – Mustapha Finally speaks, reveals surprising setback in recent protests

Salam Mustapha, who serves as the National Youth Organizer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), recently expressed his views on how the Ghana Police handled the recent protests organized by Democracy Hub. He believes that the police were too lenient with the demonstrators, especially considering the unlawful actions that took place during the protest.

According to a report by GhanaWeb, in a conversation on Okay FM, Mustapha shared his concerns about the behavior of the protesters, particularly their destruction of NPP campaign materials. He highlighted that during their demonstration against illegal mining, known as galamsey, the protesters not only damaged party paraphernalia but also blocked access to the 37 Military Hospital. This obstruction prevented patients from receiving necessary medical care, which Mustapha found particularly troubling.

The NPP Youth Leader noted that many members of his party were furious about these incidents. He mentioned that there were discussions among party members about potentially intervening at the protest site to stop the destruction and hold those responsible accountable. However, they ultimately decided against taking action themselves.

“Party members are very angry because when you look at some of the comments on WhatsApp platforms and social media pages, people are angry. It is worrying. The police were at the demonstration and saw everything. I believe that the police were too lenient,” he stated. His comments reflect a broader sentiment within his party regarding how law enforcement managed the situation.

Mustapha further elaborated on his frustrations by saying, “They’ve allowed this to happen. They allowed these protesters to destroy our properties and campaign banners.” He expressed disappointment that despite witnessing the chaos firsthand, the police did not take stronger measures to protect property or maintain order during the protest.

He described how some NPP youth members had considered going to the protest area with the intention of making citizen arrests. “Our party youth also decided to go there to stop them from destroying our paraphernalia and do a citizen arrest for destroying our properties. We would have arrested and carried them like chickens to the police; that was our intention,” he disclosed. This statement underscores the level of anger and frustration felt by NPP supporters regarding what they perceived as a lack of action from law enforcement.