The late Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Kaaka Macho
Last Friday, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia and one of Ghana’s most revered statesmen and Moslem cleric, Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu, went to Ejura to commiserate with families of the victims of the recent disturbances in the town.
Thankfully, while the dirty politics poisoned the environment in Ejura, it was our revered traditional authorities who held back the winds of confusion and the seething mayhem.
The chief of the community was even reported to have offered some money to support the medical cost of treating the victims. He did that Good Samaritan’s duty while some politicians and madding youth allowed their hormones, instead of their heads, to guide them in deciding for mayhem instead of reconciliation in the embattled community.
That is why the presence of the head of the Moslem community in Ghana on a turf which he is familiar with carries deep diplomatic implications for resolving the conflict, as the relevant authorities lead the way in delving into the matter and punishing the culprits.
As Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia and Sheikh Sharubutu noted, violence or mayhem is not an ingredient that is held in esteem by the Christian, Moslem or our traditional culture as Africans, or human beings, for that matter. It is simply lawlessness that must be confronted by the relevant law enforcement agencies.
More restraint
The fact of the matter is that we live in a democratic country governed by laws, and so whatever we do as citizens, state actors, individuals or groups must be done within the ambit of the law.
However, in a quest to live by that standard, there will always be deviations, which can be expected in any human society. Such deviations may often leave others as victims, as was seen in the disturbances at Ejura. But because we do not settle our grievances without recourse to the laws of the country, there is always a need to exercise some restraint no matter how we feel offended about the excesses of some members of the society.
That is why we once again want to add our voice to the voices of reason and call upon the youth of Ejura to remain calm, as the processes unfold to delve into the unfortunate disturbances that claimed three precious lives.
We particularly want to urge the youth to ignore the excesses and instigations of politicians and heed the advice of peace and reconciliation.
Justice for peace
As we advise the youth in this regard, what the whole nation, especially the people of Ejura, are waiting for is to see that justice is done in the long run.
In this regard, whoever will be identified to have gone contrary to the laws of the land must be dealt with as prescribed by law. That is how we can be guaranteed of true peace in the community. We expect our law enforcement system to send out a clear message that that nobody is above the laws of the land, and that once the laws get hold of you, there is no escape, no matter who you are. The time has come for us to disabuse the minds of the ordinary people that some people in the country can be above a law. That is not a way to secure an enduring peace for the nation.
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