Lawyers of victims of the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election shooting incident have accused the government of showing little or no commitment in the payment of compensation to their clients.

The lawyers explain that several attempts to meet the Attorney General to conclude on the compensation have not been fruitful, six months after the first engagement.

One of the lawyers for the victim, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, described the development as worrying as the health conditions of the victims are getting worse.

“This is quite disappointing, especially when victims of the Ejura incident have been attended to.”

“We are still waiting for the Attorney General to call us. We have been chasing it at his office, we have not been able to meet him yet. We will keep trying to get through to him and see how best it pans out.”

The Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election
The NDC withdrew from the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election following a shooting incident at the polls.

Some masked men were caught on camera beating up civilians who did not resist arrest. The men, fully armed, were also seen in the company of some police officers.

The Emile Short Commission of Inquiry was, among other things, mandated “to make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to the events and associated violence that occurred during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.”

The Commission took testimonies of principal witnesses in the matter including the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George; the Commander of the National Security SWAT team, DSP Samuel Azugu; and the then NDC Parliamentary candidate, Delali Kwasi Brempong.

The Commission interviewed over 20 other witnesses and persons of interest over a three-week period. The commission after its investigation presented its report to the President.

The Emile Short Commission, among other things, recommended that victims of the violence should be paid compensation for the harm they suffered.

A number of the recommendations were rejected by the government in its White Paper.