The family of the late Abdul Nasir Yussif, one of the two persons who died during the violence that occurred at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, has threatened to sue the military officers who shot into the protestors.
The family, which has expressed disappointment in the report of the Ejura Committee, says it will reject any compensation which will be presented to it by the government.
In an interview with Citi News, Abdulai Abubakar, brother of the late Abdul Nasir Yussif, said the family will consult their lawyers on the next line of action.
“From the onset, we have all been calling for justice. We were not calling for anything else apart from justice. The committee has to bring the people to book for them to tell us why they shot, if it was by mistake or intentional; who sent them and why they behaved that way. They should come and explain to Ghanaians so that this thing does not happen next time. So we are saying that if there is no justice, we will speak to our legal advisors so that they advise us on what steps to take next.”
The committee that probed the disturbances months ago, specifically named two deceased persons and three others injured to benefit from adequate compensation.
“The Committee recommends adequate compensation for the families of two deceased persons, namely, Abdul Nasir Yusif and Murtala Suraj Mohammed.”
“Adequate compensation must also be paid to other injured persons namely, Louis Ayikpa (20years), Awal Misbau (16 years), and Nasif Nuhu (30 years). These are the names known to the Committee”, the three member committee added as part of its recommendations.
The only sanctions were a recommendation for the removal of the MCE for the area, and perhaps the transfer of the Ejura Police Commander.
There were no strong recommendations for actions against the military personnel who fired the shots or the Ashanti Regional Minister who called in the military.
In the case of the military, however, the Committee recommended that it “reviews the actions of the section on the ground, led by Lieutenant Martin Opoku Adusei, for the inappropriate use of force, and apply appropriate sanctions.”
But Abdulai Abubakar said the family wants the persons who killed their relative to be brought to book.
“We have gone through the report, and it is not in our favour because you can’t come and kill someone’s relative and give the family money and say it’s okay. This is why crime is continuing in this country every day because we are living in a system of impunity, that is what we want to stop.”
“Our problem is not money, so you want to compensate us for what? All we want is justice. We are not going to talk any money without trial. Will our relatives come back to life if we take the money?”
