Collins Dauda granted bail

• Posted on May 15, 2024May 15, 2024
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has been granted a police enquiry bail following his arrest for his alleged involvement in violence that broke out at Kukuom in the Ahafo Region on Saturday, May 11, 2024 during the limited voter registration exercise.

The MP, according to information available, has since been granted bail by the police following his arrest.

Last Saturday’s shooting left one person injured and required hospitalisation.

The police said efforts were underway to apprehend other suspects believed to be linked to the violent incident at the registration centre.

Following the event, police issued a statement stating that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP had been detained in connection with the disturbance.

But the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, disclosed in an interview with Citi FM that the MP was immediately released on bail following his arrest.

He said the MP “was immediately granted bail. So he is currently on bail. The police say they are conducting their investigation, so he will hear from them.”

He said the MP was not present at the registration centre “because he was busy in his constituency monitoring the registration process.”

He added that, “It was surprising to us when the police issued that statement, implying that Collins Dauda had committed a crime when they knew he was not even at the scene when the incident occurred.”

Sammy Gyamfi criticised the arrest of the MP and urged the police to focus on apprehending the actual culprits of the violent acts.

“We condemn what the police did and call on them to concentrate on arresting the real perpetrators of that chaos, of those criminal actions,” he stated.

NDC Fires Police

Meanwhile, the NDC has criticised the police for what it describes as unprofessional haste by the police in publishing the arrest of Alhaji Dauda.

According to a statement signed by Sammy Gyamfi, Alhaji Collins Dauda has not committed a crime, but the police have created the impression in the media that he has.

“For emphasis, Hon. Collins Dauda has committed no crime. The allegation by the Police that he was involved in some disturbances at the ongoing voter registration in Kukuom is palpably false and must be treated with the contempt it deserves,” the statement pointed out.

The statement insisted that the MP was nowhere nearer to the said registration centre when the violent incident occurred.

The statement said that, contrary to the Ghana Police Service’s claim, Collins Dauda was busy monitoring the ongoing registration exercise in his constituency, Asutifi South, and was nowhere near the event at Kukuom, which is located in the Asunafo South Constituency.

It also reiterated the party’s commitment to peace in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise, indicating that the NDC is a law-abiding political party committed to upholding the country’s laws.

“Our parliamentary candidates, agents and supporters throughout the country have so far comported themselves in the ongoing exercise, even in the face of extreme provocation and in some cases, violent attacks,” it added.

The NDC said the Ghana Police Service has a responsibility to protect all stakeholders in the ongoing voter registration exercise.

“The Ghana Police must display professionalism and impartiality in maintaining law and order, and be fair to all actors in the political space,” the statement stressed.

BY Gibril Abdul Razak