The Gbi Traditional Authority has called on the government to set up a commission of inquiry to probe alleged incidents of police brutality that have occurred in the area.

According to the chiefs and people of the area in the Hohoe Municipality, the police instead of protecting lives and property, have resorted to harassing and killing indigenes while destroying property.

The Paramount Chief of Gbi, Torgbegah Gabusu VII, said having considered carefully the trend of blatant police brutality in the area over the past years, it is high time President Akufo-Addo set up an independent commission of inquiry to investigate and address their concerns.

Torgbega Gabusu VII who made the claims during a press conference held at the Gbi palace and read on his behalf by the Divisional Chief of Gbi Wegbe, Torgbe Keh XIII, said the findings of the report when done should be made available to the Gbi state within 90 days of the press conference. 

Torgbegah Gabusu VII noted that the Ghana Police Service as an institution has the mandate to protect life and property, and to ensure peace and security in the country but unfortunately, this mandate has been compromised in the Gbi Traditional Area.

"For unknown reasons, the incidence of police brutalities against civilians in the Gbi Traditional Area with particular reference to Wegbe, Godenu, Kledzo, and Atabu have become more frequent and more intense and has assumed high proportions with unwarranted and excessive brutalities ranging from harassment, false arrests, intimidation, assault, mayhem, and outright murder," he said.

Torgbegah Gabusu noted that the police in the Gbi Traditional Area act with entrenched impunity because past killings and brutalities have not been investigated and the culprits have not been prosecuted or punished for their unprofessional conduct.

He recounted how a police vehicle (pick-up) with five police personnel chased a motorbike rider towards Gbi-Godenu on the Accra-Hohoe road and at a point knocked the rear of the motorbike, pushing the rider into a gutter and resulting in severe injuries, following which the victim was rushed to the regional hospital in Hohoe for treatment.

"Six days ago, that is on Wednesday, 30th August, 2023 at Gbi-Godenu, there was another unwarranted police brutality which again resulted in the death of Mr. David Agbebianu and Mr. Afeti Agbeko.

"A motorbike rider was knocked down by the police vehicle which also resulted in severe multiple injuries and the victim is currently receiving treatment at Ho Teaching Hospital (Trafalgar). And two teenagers who were hit by stray bullets," Torgbegah Gabusu said.

In yet another incident, Torgbegah Gabusu recounted how the unprofessional conduct of the police resulted in the shooting to death of a taxi driver called Bismark at Gbi-Wegbe on Friday, 9th December 2022 at about 11:30pm.

Torgbegah Gabusu VII noted that working within this time frame of 90 days would go a long way to curtail the reoccurrence of the excessive use of lethal force and other unprofessional conduct by the police in the Gbi State.

He added that swift action would be the biggest display of empathy the government can show towards the people of Gbi and thus urged the government to do so.

The MCE for Hohoe, Noble Daniel Awume, who received the petition, noted that government will do everything possible to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

He urged the public to remain calm for the issue to be investigated.

Two persons lost their lives while others sustained severe injuries in Gordenu, a farming community in Hohoe after the police clashed with civilians.

The unfortunate incident, according to the Ghana Police Service (GPS), occurred on Wednesday (30 August) following a “violent disturbance” between some aggrieved youth and a team of police officers in which a police vehicle and a civilian’s motorbike were set ablaze.