Representatives from some tertiary institutions and assembly members who went to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to secure bail for Luqman Abubakar, a student leader, were on Wednesday struck with truncheons and rifle butts by police and soldiers which left them bloodied.
One of the affected persons Ibrahim Isaka Assemblyman for Mamobi West said that they went to the CID headquarters to find out how they could secure bail for Luqman Abubakar who was in detention.
“We turned up at the CID headquarters at about 2pm with Moses Abor, Assemblyman for Kokomlemle East and some students from the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. We sought audience with the Director of Operations but were told that he was holding a meeting on the third floor. We were on the fifth floor,” he said.
“We asked whether we could get his deputy but we were told he was also in a meeting. We were directed to the Station Officer who asked us to wait. We waited till evening when we saw the students, four of them, including Luqman being taken away to an unknown destination.”
He told DAILY GUIDE that they were earlier told that the statements of the students had been taken.
It turned out that the Police deliberately asked us to wait so we could be beaten up by some policemen and soldiers who turned up later in three vehicles, one of them with registration number GP 419, according to him.
Upon the arrival of the security personnel at the CID headquarters, we were asked to descend. Unknown to us, the soldiers and policemen were waiting downstairs for us. They used whips, batons and rifle butts to assault us,” he said.
The students, who also suffered the attacks, corroborated his story.
A lawyer for the detained students, who turned up later, was also taken for a student and assaulted by the policemen.
The assemblyman added that “Luqman’s hand has dislocated. He is unable to lift the arm and needs urgent medical attention but he was denied bail.”
One of the students, a certain Paa Kwesi reportedly told colleagues that he and his friends had the support of top politicians and that he would ensure that Luqman passes another night in the Police cells.
It would be recalled that personnel of the Accra Regional Police Command rushed to the premises of TV3 network to prevent a clash between loyalists of Luqman Abubarkar and Julian Mawuse Komla, who are claiming to be presidents of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).
According to reports, gunshots were fired during the melee at about 9pm last Tuesday.
Three Machomen and Lukeman Abubarkar, leader of one of the factions, who were arrested, were first sent to the Nima Police Station, then Odorkor Police Station and finally to the Greater Accra Regional Police Headquarters in Accra.
A source at TV3 told DAILY GUIDE that the producer of the programme, Komla Klutse officially invited one Julian Mawusi Kobina aka Aseobic, believed to have been sponsored by the NDC for their 10pm news.
At about 9 pm, Lukeman Abubarkar led some students to the station with two letters, claiming to be the president-elect.
The producer, upon hearing their stories, asked them to leave and cancelled the programme.
Unknown to the producer, Luqman Abubarkar and others were at the car park.
Management of the network, upon hearing the noise from the car park due to the clashes, immediately called on the police to intervene.
It is however unclear if the gunshots were fired by the police or machomen.
Meanwhile, some executives in the camp of Luqman Abubarkar have debunked claims that their president bused machomen to the premises of TV3.
Frimpong Gilbert, who is in-charge of Press and Information, told DAILY GUIDE that Luqman Abubarkar was elected at their congress held at Ideal College in Accra over the weekend and inducted into office same day at their NUGS office at City Campus, adding that he had travelled to TV3 with his letters to officially introduce himself as NUGS president.
He alleged that Julian, who claimed he was also elected at another congress held at Hohoe in the Volta Region by the past president Michael Paa Kwesi Adu, led the machomen to attack them.
“The police, instead of apprehending Julian Mawusi, rather apprehended Luqman and have since detained him for no reason. Some past executives went to the CID headquarters to seek bail for him but they were turned down by the police.”
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