The Ghana Police Service has urged the Minority in Parliament and the estimated 5,000 people expected to join tomorrow’s OccupyBoG demonstration to abide by the security arrangements agreed upon.
The service said it had agreed with the organisers that the premises of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) was out of bounds because of security reasons, although the Central Bank and its officials were the subject of the protest.
Briefing the media on the police’s preparation in Accra yesterday, the Director of Public Affairs of the Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Grace Ansah-Akrofi, said the police was ready with adequate officials deployed with logistics to ensure law and order.
She said demonstrators would converge on the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, and proceed to Adabraka – Ridge Roundabout – National Theatre Traffic Light – High Court Complex Traffic Light – Attah Mills Highway and make a U-turn at the National Lotteries and terminate at the Independence Square.
She said road from the Independence Square in front of the National Lotteries towards the Old Parliament Traffic Light would be blocked temporarily to vehicular traffic during the demonstration.
ACP Ansah-Akrofi said the blocked roads would be diverted through the Starlet Traffic Light through the Ministries Traffic Light to pass in front of the Office of the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), through National Lotteries.
She said it would link up with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly office Road to Economic and Organised Crime Office and take a detour back to the John Evans Atta Mills Highway at the old Parliament Traffic Light intersection.
She said personnel of the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) would be deployed at the various intersections to assist the motoring public and ensure safety of all.
ACP Ansah-Akrofi urged the public to bear with the police as they roll out the arrangements to minimise the inconvenience that will be experienced by the public in those parts of the Capital City that would be affected by the demonstration.
“We would like to assure the public that as always, the Police remain committed to working together with all stakeholders and the public at large towards deepening our democratic credentials and ensuring peace, security, law and order in the country,” she said.
Initially slated for September 5, the protest was shifted to September 12 and subsequently to today due to an injunction filed by the police service over the routes.
The Minority in Parliament is organising protest to press home its demand for the removal of the BoG Governor, Dr Ernest Addison, and his deputies from office over alleged mismanagement of the Central Bank which has occasioned a loss of GH¢60.8 billion and a negative equity of GH¢55.1 billion; illegal printing of over GH¢80 billion.
The march is also to register their displeasure over the building of a head office at the cost of over $250 million when the Public Procurement Authority initially recommended $81 million.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
