The Ghana Police Service has filed an injunction at an Accra High Court to prevent the #DumsorMustStop demonstration from taking place.
This comes days after the Accra Region Police Command urged the organizers to consider relocating the planned protest venue.
The organizers were also told to adjust the timing for the upcoming demonstration scheduled for Saturday, May 25, 2024.
However, in the fresh motion filed on May 20, the police requested the court to order the organizers to halt the event entirely.
In a meeting held at the Regional Police Headquarters on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, discussions revolved around the notification of the public protest and its potential impact on public order and safety.
The police expressed concerns regarding the proposed venue, Revolution Square, citing its proximity to the Jubilee House, the seat of government, which is designated as a security zone.
Recognizing potential risks to public defense, order, and safety, the command recommended relocating the protest to Independence Square.
Additionally, the Command highlighted apprehensions regarding the proposed timing of midnight for the conclusion of the protest.
They cautioned that the timing could compromise security measures and escalate tensions, potentially leading to violence. Therefore, they advised the protest organizers to adjust their time accordingly.
The 2015 edition
This event is expected to be the second time Ghanaians rally around a united cry against erratic power supply.
In 2015, a similar demonstration was held against the power crisis that had gripped the country in the past at the time.
It was organized by some Ghanaian celebrities including Yvonne Nelson to reiterate the fact that the power crisis was impacting negatively on production and putting people out of business while derailing national progress.
The demonstrators, numbering more than 2,000 began from the Legon Overhead Bridge and moved down close to the Total Filling Station which sits adjacent to the university, but the police urged the leaders to move further ahead from the filling station, since some of the protestors were holding lighted ‘bobo’.
‘Bobo’ is a local lamp made from empty cans filled with kerosene, with a little tunnel at the top from which an absorbent twine protrudes that is lighted.
The police congregated at the starting point more than two hours before the announced time for the demonstration which was 4 pm.
Source: Kenneth Awotwe Darko
