National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Wa Central Constituency Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) cannot deny knowledge of the existence of vigilante groups such as Delta Forces within its fold.
The former minister of state said it will be a blatant lie for any person to deny the fact that groups such as the Delta Forces, Invisible Forces and Kandahar Boys are backed by the NPP.
Dr Pelpuo’s remarks come in the wake of the denial of the formation of the groups by NPP’s Communications Director, Yaw Buaben Asamoah.
Mr Asamoah, who is also MP for Adentan Constituency, has said his party cannot disband the various vigilante groups associated with them because they were not founded by the party.
He is quoted as saying: “Tomorrow if you say, I have disbanded Delta Force and they come and say they are called Volta Force. . .do you then chase them in banding them as they change groups or what?”
But speaking on TV3’s New Day on Saturday, October 13, Wa Central MP Dr Pelpuo said it is only a case of pampering for the vigilante groups on the part of the ruling government.
“[NPP] know them. They protect them,” he stressed.
“They chase away members of the executive, they protect them.”
The activities of the political vigilante groups, especially those affiliated to the NPP, have come to a head with the latest foray coming last Sunday, when the Delta Forces stormed a meeting being addressed by the Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Athony Akoto Osei.
The Delta Forces accused Dr Akoto Osei, who is also MP for Old Tafo Constituency, of reneging on his promise to provide them with jobs.
Two have since been arraigned before court and, consequently, remanded.
Dr Pelpuo says the activities of the Delta Forces is a recipe for disaster for Ghana as they are towing the same lines as rebels in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
According to him, when the rebels began their onslaughts, they were protected by top Nigerian politicians and “now are hijacking innocent people and sometimes killing them”.
For him, if the situation is not staunched, the vigilante groups will become a terrorist group.
He said Ghanaians have not shown “enough outrage” at the activities of these vigilante groups and the earlier that is done the better for all.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana