The Wenchi High Court has ordered the state to compensate six persons with GH₵45,000 each, following injuries they sustained during a shooting at the Techiman South collation centre during the 2020 general elections.
The ruling by the court follows a law suit filed by victims of the shooting incident.
The victims told the court that their constitutional right to life, as stipulated in Article 13 of the 1992 Constitution, was violated.
Security personnel fired shots that led to the deaths of two persons following tension at the collation centre where Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah was declared the elected Member of Parliament.
The victims also told the court the shooting incident carried out by the security officials was excessive and unjustified.
The Attorney General’s Office opposed the argument by the victims, claiming that the security forces only fired warning shots to disperse a disruptive crowd and protect electoral officers.
The Office also posited that some injuries could have resulted from gunfire originating from within the crowd, suggesting that the security forces were not solely responsible.
The argument was, however, not accepted by the court on the grounds that evidence submitted revealed the security officers had shot directly into the crowd without justification.
The court described the action as the indiscriminate use of force, which violated the plaintiffs’ rights to life.
The victims had prayed the court to award them a compensation of
GH₵5 million for the lead plaintiff and GH₵2 million for each of the other five.
But the court did not grant these amounts.
The judge determined that the evidence submitted was insufficient to justify the higher compensation claimed, ultimately awarding GH₵45,000 to each of the six plaintiffs.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
