Public hearing into the recent disturbances at Ejura in the Ashanti Region that resulted in the shooting to death of two persons with four others sustaining various degrees of injury has ended.
In all, 22 witnesses testified before the three-member Committee, three of them held in-camera for security reasons.
Chairman of the Committee, Justice George Kingsley Koomson told the media that, members will now evaluate the testimonies and pieces of evidence gathered to enable them to write and submit a report to the Minister for the Interior.
That was the Chairman of the three-member Committee of Enquiry into the deadly Ejura disturbances, Justice George Kingsley Koomson ending that report by Correspondent Nicholas Osei-Wusu in Kumasi.
Following a violent protest and shootings at Ejura on the 29th of June, 2021, Minister for the Interior, acting on the instructions of President Akufo-Addo announced the composition of a three-member committee to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
The Committee, Chaired by a Court of Appeals Judge, Justice George Kingsley Koomson with a Security Expert, Professor Vladmir Antwi Danso and Executive Director of Penplus Byte, an Accra-based civil society Organization as the other members.
The Committee was originally given a July 9, 2021 timeline to complete its mandate but it was given a week’s extension to roundup which ended on Friday, July 16.
In performing its mandate, the Committee first visited Ejura in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality of Ashanti where the disturbances occurred and officially introduced themselves and sensitized the traditional and Dagomba leadership of the town to its work and appealed for cooperation to enable them successfully come up with an acceptable report.
The public hearings which began on Tuesday, July 6, 2021, started with the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah also Chairman of the Regional Security Council as its first witness and ended with the appearance of the Nifahene of Ejura, Nana Osei Kwadwo Ans3bie.
On the last day of the public hearings, Justice Koomson told the media that the expected last witness to have testified failed to show up leaving the Committee with no option than to retire into chamber to evaluate all the testimonies and pieces of evidence gathered during the 12 days of facts-finding so as to piece together, a Report for onward submission to the Minister for the Interior at a later date.
According to Justice Koomson, a total of 22 persons voluntarily testified, three of them off-camera for security reasons.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation by the people of Ejura and other interested individuals and organizations.
Later in an interview, Justice Koomson was particularly grateful to the media for its overall contribution to the enquiry.
He noted that once the Committee submits its Report that will contain Recommendations, the members will not be responsible for what the government decides to do with it.
Story filed by Nicholas Osei-Wusu
