The Greater Accra Regional Police Command has disallowed a planned demonstration by Civil Society Organization, Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) against the Agyapa Mineral Royalties deal.
In a response to ASEPA’s notification of intent to lead 20,000 into the streets to demonstrate displeasure over the deal which has been attributed to the so-called “Akyem Sakawa”, the Police said Covid-19 is an extenuating circumstance.
“The Command wishes to inform you that restrictions imposed on public gatherings of more than two hundred (200) people without face mask due to the Covid-19 pandemic has not been fully lifted. You are further informed that for twenty thousand (20,000) people to gather for a demonstration, there is the tendency that Covbid-19 protocols would be breached. If permitted to demonstrate in this manner, public health and security could be endangered,” said the letter signed by ACP E. A. Sakyi, Assistant regional Commander.
Interestingly, the denial of way to ASEPA to demonstrate over the Agyapa deal by the Police is coming after supposed Akyems in the Eastern Region had last week been granted permission by the same Ghana Police to demonstrate over the same Agyapa deal, in Asamankese.
The demonstrators who have been variously described as “NPP zealots” and “NPP Hirelings,” had poured into the streets of Asamankese wielding placards, firing guns and virtually going without face masks.
The Akyem demonstrators had attacked former President John Mahama for re-posting a Facebook post by the MP for Bolgatanaga Central, Isaac Adongo, in which he had written that the Agyapa deal is being sponsored the “Akyem Sakawa Mafia.”
The Akyem Sakawa Mafia supposedly has President Akufo-Addo as head honcho. It is believed that the Agyapa Minerals Royalties deal, which aims to perpetually give out 49% of Ghana’s mining royalties to investors (who are suspected to be the Akufo-Addo family ruling Ghana and their friends) is aimed to forever keep Ghana’s mineral wealth in the hands of the Mafia.
The Government’s deliberate obscurantism after it chose a tax haven in the UK as the place to incorporate the foreign entity of Agyapa has led many to conclude that the deal is a dirty plot in what is seen as a larger State capture by the Akyem Mafia.
ASEPA had written to the Police today, in accordance with the Public Order Act (491) to inform the Police of its intent to organize a civil demonstration after the government snubbed calls by a group of Civil Society Organizations to drop the deal two weeks ago.
However, the Ghana Police which granted supposed unhappy Akyems to demonstrate in Asamankeses last week over the Agyapa deal, has claimed that ASEPA’s demonstration will breed more Covid-19.