President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed shock at the gunning down of the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman Constituency, Ekow Quansah Hayford.
“I am shocked and saddened by news of the murder of the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, Hon. Ekow Kwansa Hayford, by suspected armed robbers in the early hours of this morning…,” he stated in a Facebook post in less than 24 hours after the incident.
The President’s quick response has sparked criticism of selectiveness in his response to injustice in the country, there has been countless cases of disturbances and injustices, that the President had been strangely mute about until the unbearable heat of public criticism had forced him to comment.
The president’s post read; “I am shocked and saddened by news of the murder of the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, Hon. Ekow Kwansa Hayford, by suspected armed robbers in the early hours of this morning. It is a sad day for Mfantseman and for Mother Ghana. My last encounter with him was on 30th June, this year, when I commissioned a water supply project at Anomansa, in his constituency.”
“By all accounts, he was very much appreciated and loved by his constituents, and I expect the police to bring the perpetrators of this gruesome, cruel act to book as soon as possible. My deepest condolences to his family, to the Mfantseman constituency, to the New Patriotic Party, and to Parliament. May his soul rest in perfect peace.” Akufo Addo stated.
The Member of Parliament was shot dead by highway robbers on the Abeadze Dominase-Abeadze Duadzi-Mankessim Road while returning from a campaign trip on Friday 9th October 2020 around 1:00 am.
According to eyewitnesses, the MP was identified while the robbery was ongoing. This, he said ‘angered’ the robbers who then blamed him for the problems being faced by people in the country.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh has placed a ¢20,000 bounty on the heads of the killers as Ghanaian parliamentarians scramble to safety over fears that they may be next targets of the suspected assassins.
The official narrative claim it was a murder from a highway robbery, however, others believe the killing had political undertones, as it turned out the “robbers” did not loot anything from the slain MP.
Other MPs are effectively pleading with the state to provide them personal security, aside what some of them already have.