A news report about the assault of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters by their National Democratic Congress (NDC) counterparts at Kukuom in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region made disturbing headlines in the media.
Even more worrying is the fact that this is not the first time that the scenario is being played out.
For four or so times, the area has made worrying headlines as a result of political violence.
Sadly nobody is doing time in jail for being accessories to the smelly political violence, now a feature of this part of the country.
So-called machomen have been allegedly nurtured by the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister Eric Poku to do his dirty bidding of visiting mayhem on those who do not belong to his political persuasion.
There is credible evidence about the brother of a Minister in Accra who leads a gang of miscreants to assault non-NDC persons, especially in the run-up to the general election.
It breaks our hearts when these acts of unruliness and hooliganism take place simultaneously as so-called peace seekers and envoys disturb our ears with cacophonous messages and marches and avoid the root causes of the violence.
The Peace Council has neither pondered over the Asunafo South bad stories nor queried the Police Service for their indifference.
Indeed Asunafo South area is a bedlam of violence and we ignore the reality at the peril of the lives and properties of innocent persons.
The situation in the area under review is one which over time has been overlooked after disturbing replays.
The recent incident saw the destruction of state properties when so-called machomen descended upon the district office of the Electoral Commission (EC) to destroy properties. They had been instructed by their paymasters to disperse those who had gone to go through a voter transfer process at the local EC office.
What kind of a country are we in where hoodlums are allowed to do as they please simply because they belong to a ruling party? It is mind-boggling the level of hypocrisy and impunity we are witnessing. It is as if there is total breakdown of law and order in some parts of the hinterland. For how long shall we allow this nonsense to continue?
Once more we berate the Ghana Peace Council for being impotent in addressing some of these challenges which have started rearing their heads some three months before elections. Won’t we be justified when we snub the many peace sermons of the council and others who have become serial peace envoys overnight?
The hoodlums have been emboldened because they are never arraigned, regardless of the quantum of their criminality.
Police officers have been rendered impotent by politicians whose parties are in power. When these cops try to do their work professionally ample evidence shows they are victimized.
It is commonplace now for cases to be described as political so they can be disposed of quickly without any entry, let alone prosecution.
As a result, hoodlums in Kokuom can boldly go to the police station and order the arrest of party supporters outside the ruling political grouping. What a country!