The Chairman of the Constitutional and Legal Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Frank Davies has called for a more serious national response to the recent killings in Obuasi.

Speaking on the incident on JoyNews Newsfile on Saturday, January 25, Mr Davies condemned the loss of lives, calling it a tragedy that should not be dismissed as “politics as usual.”

“When we link everything to political mantra and then people try to hide under these things to perpetuate mayhem and possibly cause loss of death, as happened in this particular situation, I don't think we should gloss over it,” Mr Davies said.

• Read also: Obuasi clash update: 9 confirmed dead, 4 still in critical conditions, others discharged

“The loss of a human life is something which is irreplaceable. So when lives are lost in such rather unusual and awkward manner, I think we all have to commiserate and wish that the family finds the strength in this difficult and challenging times.”

The Obuasi clash, which claimed nine lives and left several others injured, has drawn widespread attention.

The NPP Constitutional and Legal Committee Chairman argued that framing such events within the narrow lens of political rhetoric only serves to perpetuate the cycle of violence.

He criticised the tendency to link every major incident to political affiliations, arguing that this approach often distracts from the root causes of unrest.

Mr Davies stated that political parties must condemn such acts unequivocally, irrespective of who is involved.

“I will condemn it if it's my party, and I will condemn it if it's otherwise,” he asserted.

He also raised concerns about the role of unfulfilled political promises in creating tension, especially in vulnerable communities like mining areas.

Politicians, he said, must deliver on their promises or risk creating frustration that leads to unrest.

“When you promise people that when you take over government, you are going to legalize and give them the opportunity to work in the mines, What and how do you mean? You go to them on that they should vote for you, and then your government wins power, and they are not seeing the jobs, what do you expect them to do? This is the situation you put them in,” he said.

Mr Davies demanded swift justice for those responsible for the Obuasi killings, emphasising that accountability should be non-negotiable.

”When people do things wrong, they should be held by the head and thrown into jail.”

Addressing the media’s role in shaping public perception of the incident, Mr Davies urged journalists to report the facts accurately and avoid sensationalism.

“When a particular group of journalists try to portray a situation that these people went to the mines, they just went and said we are coming to mine and they were shot, it begs reasoning because other group of journalists have also come with concise details and a narrative of what actually happened,” he cautioned.