I learned with outrage and sorrow of the murder of Ibrahim Kaaka Mohammed, an #FixTheCountry activist in Ejura, two days ago. My prayers go out to his family and comrades. It appears that he was targeted for expressing political views that others in Ejura found unacceptable, making his killing both a criminal act and an assault on our national constitution.

It appears that the threats against Kaaka were reported to the Ejura Police, who, however, took no action to protect him. The Ghana Police must speak to this. I am happy that the Police at least have suspects in custody. I hope that they will now devote the resources required to complete their investigations quickly and bring all those implicated in this crime to trial – no matter who they are. Justice must be seen to be done.

I am even more troubled by the death and injury visited upon Ejura youth who quite naturally demonstrated their anger after their comrade’s funeral yesterday. Again, my thoughts go out to the families and loved ones of the victims. This is because the evidence suggests that the shooters were men of the Ghana Armed Forces - men sworn to protect citizens - with their lives if necessary. I hope that GAF will act swiftly, professionally, and responsibly to address rising public anxieties.

It is important that steps are taken immediately to normalize the situation in Ejura and keep everybody safe – including the Security Services. This almost certainly requires the withdrawal of the military unit and an augmentation of the Ghana Police Service presence.

As Islamic custom demands, we can expect two more burials shortly. It is natural that these will see a further outpouring of anger and grief like what preceded yesterday’s killings. I appeal to citizens and particularly the youth in Ejura to control their grief and not offer anybody a pretext for further violence. Let us close ranks and protect each other.

Ghana is going through tough times. People are struggling economically. The future is very uncertain. Trust in our national institutions is extremely low. Tempers are volatile. Yet we remain one country. All of us – politicians, security personnel, citizens need to step back and resolve to work even harder to protect the constitutional order.

Attacks, such as Ejura's, undermine confidence in the constitutional system and endanger it. The constitution is what gives legitimacy and authority to political, military, and civilian institutions. We must protect it. This is a time for leadership and our President must speak constructively and in a unifying manner about these tragedies. The Fourth Republic must not fail.

Avoiding confrontation is not accepting to be muzzled. I am, as a matter of principle, in absolute solidarity with #FixTheCountry campaign’s assertion of constitutional rights of freedom of conscience, expression, and association. The state has a constitutional responsibility to ensure that protesters are protected in the exercise of their constitutional rights. We must all defy the forces who seek to silence citizens curb our rights.

We must struggle to create a democratic space at all levels to discuss solutions to our problems. We can and must do so without resorting to violence.

I hope that Parliament will hold the institutions involved (GPS, GAF, Ministries of Interior, Defence, and National Security) accountable. Let us build our country.