Reports reveal that police in the Ashanti Region capital, Kumasi, have arrested 24 men suspected to be involved in the trending Kumasi woman assault which took place on Tuesday, 14th February 2017. This was after the woman reportedly lodged her complaint at the police station.
According to the report, the 24 suspects are currently in custody at the Kumasi Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
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A statement from the Police Service assured that modern technology including cameras will be employed to arrest and prosecute the culprits. The police sources say that a screening exercise is expected to be conducted to identify those who took part in the deplorable and obscene mob action.
In addition, Luv FM’s reports Wednesday morning revealed that some women, mostly traders, who volunteered information that led to the arrest of some of the attackers have also been picked up to assist with ongoing investigations into the incident.
A highly mischievous mob, on Tuesday 14th February 2017, seized, stripped and assaulted a lady who allegedly attempted to steal GHc1,100 from a shop at the Kejetia Market in Kumasi. The assault could be rated as the worst so far in the busy town of Kumasi where women thieves are usually given similar abusive treatments.
The victim, a fair-skinned lady was stripped of everything that could be called clothe, leaving her with only her red brassier on. She was dragged about by the mob consisting only of men with many of them spanking and fondling her buttocks and breasts in the broad daylight.
The barbaric assault graduated to them pushing the poor woman down and spreading her legs wide apart for the cameras to have a good capture of her private part. Many of them also kicked at her vagina.
Perpetrators of the Kumasi woman assault did well to video cover their wicked act, subsequently releasing it on the web. The nasty video has since gone viral and from all indications, the molesters are not in anyway interested in punishing a thief but are just bent on abusing a woman sexually.
No normal human being, be it male or female would fail to condemn this high degree of abuse of the womankind. However, the condemnation of course, is loudest on the part of women.
Describing the despicable act as an “inhuman attack” in a statement, the female advocacy group, Modern Women of Wisdom, called on the Ghana Police Service, Gender Ministry and Civil Society Groups to bring the culprits to book.
Part of the statement signed by the Women Group leaders – Ama Amo Darkoah, Adwoa Asieduaa and Boakyewaa Franklina reads:
“we are getting tired of these men, these higher humans who have decided to put the law into their own hands.”
The statement pointed out that those people who brutally mete out instant justice on suspected thieves are the same men who loiter around shopping centres snatching phones from unsuspecting persons or sell bars of soaps to ignorant citizens as mobile phones at night.
They described as ‘barbaric’ the insertion of the fingers into the private part of the suspect, adding that ‘these sex-hungry men will do anything to molest a lady at the slightest provocation.’
The group stressed that “instant justice was gradually gaining roots in the country” and needs to be addressed as soon as possible for the wellbeing of all. They therefore called on the National Commission for Civic Education, to improve their performance by educating the public on their civic rights and responsibilities.
Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, Angela Dwamena Aboagye, have also joined gender activists who have condemned the mob attacked.
Just like the Modern Women of Wisdom, Women’s Wing of the Progressive Alliance Media Communicators has petitioned the minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection to begin investigations into the Kumasi Woman assault.
The petition which was presented to Madam Otiko Djaba on Friday emphasized that the attack on the lady was inhuman and cannot be tolerated in a democratic society which is governed by rule of law. According to them, the mob action is criminal and attracts severe punishments as provided for in the nation’s criminal code.
They expressed confidence in the Gender Minister, urging her to follow up the act in accordance with Articles 12, 13, 14 and 15 of the constitution. They however equally condemned the alleged criminality on the part of the lady in question.
Pressure group, OccupyGhana has also joined in the increasing demand for justice over the Kumasi woman assault. In a statement released Tuesday, OccupyGhana condemned the incident, describing it as “unconstitutional, barbaric, unjust, unfair and criminal”, adding that it reveals a dark side of a long time history of Ghana which has very fatal consequences.
“We demand that they [attackers] be prosecuted to the full extent of the law as a deterrent to others. We appeal to all Ghanaians to respect the individual human rights and dignity of their fellow men and women so that together we can grow this great nation,” part of the statement reads.
The group stressed that mob attacks “deny victims due process and constitutes an abuse of their human rights and violation of their dignity”.
OccupyGhana, which is made up of eminent lawyers and other professionals is asking that police use the viral video to arrest all the men who were involved in the Kumasi woman assault.
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