Portrait of the late Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, Ekow Quansah Hayford
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has ordered the Ghana Police Service and other security agencies to immediately investigate the killing of Ekow Quansah Hayford, MP for Mfatseman, and arrest the assailants.
In a Facebook post, last week, the President said he was “shocked and saddened by news of the murder”.
“It is a sad day for Mfantseman and for Mother Ghana. My last encounter with him was on 30th June, this year, when I commissioned a water supply project at Anomansa, in his constituency. By all accounts, he was very much appreciated and loved by his constituents, and I expect the police to bring the perpetrators of this gruesome, cruel act to book as soon as possible.
“My deepest condolences to his family, to the Mfantseman constituency, to the New Patriotic Party, and to Parliament. May his soul rest in perfect peace,” the President said.
Aside from the President, both the NPP and the NDC have also called for the arrest of the assailants.
“The NPP, while commiserating with the immediate family and close friends of the late distinguished MP as well as with the central regional party, is also calling for an immediate investigation and arrest of all persons behind this heinous crime,” NPP Secretary Mr Boadu said.
Killing
The MP was shot by unknown assailants while returning from a campaign tour on the Nkusukum Mankessim-Abeadze Duadze road in the Central Region at about 1am on Friday, October 9, 2020.
The assailants allegedly accused him of contributing to the difficulty of life in the country. Report says the assailants got infuriated when the MP identified himself during their operation in the area, which involved about 14 cars, and left many passengers wounded.
According to the NPP, they received the news with “great shock”. Mr Boadu stated that the MP had been “outstanding as a leading member of the party in the Central Region, and at the national level.”
Bounty
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, has placed a GH¢20,000 bounty on the killers of the MP.
In a statement issued by the Public Relations Directorate of the Police Service and signed by Supt of Police Sheila Kesse Abayie-Buckman, the Police said the money would only be given for credible information that will lead to the arrest of the perpetrators.
The IGP has also dispatched a team of investigators from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to support the Central Region’s Crime Scene Team to investigate the incidence.
Suspension of campaign
Meanwhile, both the NPP in the Central Region and the opposition National Democratic Congress in the Mfantseman constituency have suspended their campaign following the gruesome murder of the MP.
The NDC in a statement issued and signed jointly by the constituency chairman, Mr Fred Budu Hagan, and the constituency communications officer, Dr Stanley KK Acquah, expressed its deepest condolences to the family and the NPP.
“We write to communicate the decision of the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Mfantseman- Odziifo James Essoun to suspend his campaign in the Constituency until Monday, in honour of the sitting NPP MP and parliamentary candidate,” it said.
Equally, the NPP in a statement released by its General Secretary, John Boadu, also directed that all party flags in the region fly at half-mast for the next seven days in honour of the departed MP.
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