The Ghana Police Service is under intense pressure from the presidency to halt anti-galamsey demonstration in Accra, according to information gathered.
Consequently, the Police has filed an application at the High Court in Accra seeking to alter the location and timing of a planned demonstration organized by the Generational Rights Protection Society, led by activist and broadcaster Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah.
The protest, scheduled for April 28 and 29, is intended to call out successive governments for their failure to protect the environment from the ravages of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The proposed demonstration is slated to take place at the Liberation Square, located directly opposite the Jubilee House, the seat of government and a designated national security zone.
This proximity, according to the Police, presents significant security risks.
In an affidavit filed by General Sergeant Armstrong Ankomah on April 23, the Ghana Police Service urged the court to either stop the protest entirely or compel the organisers to move it to a different location and restrict the timeframe.
The Police specifically requested that the demonstration be rescheduled to take place between 10 AM and 5 PM on April 28, away from the Jubilee House.
The Police argue that intelligence gathered suggests the planned protest could be infiltrated by “undesirable elements” who may disrupt public peace and compromise national security.
The affidavit stressed that the organisers have not provided details about the expected participants or the nature of security arrangements in place.
Based on this intelligence and a security threat assessment, the Police are convinced that the protest, if allowed in its current form and location, could result in violence, pose threats to public safety, disrupt essential services, and infringe upon the rights of other citizens.
While the Ghana Police Service maintains that its position is grounded in preserving national security, the legal and civil implications of their move are sparking concern.
Article 21(1)(d) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution enshrines the right of every citizen to freedom of assembly, including the right to participate in demonstrations and processions.
The Public Order Act of 1994 (Act 491) was enacted to give effect to this constitutional right, eliminating the requirement for demonstrators to obtain a Police permit before holding a protest. Instead, the law requires that organizers notify the Police, not seek their permission.
Critics have pointed to the growing practice by the Police of filing last-minute injunctions—often on an ex parte basis, without prior notice to the protestors—as a deliberate strategy to frustrate public demonstrations.
One such instance drew a scathing rebuke from the judiciary in the unreported “Let My Vote Count” case. Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei, sitting as an additional High Court Judge, described the Police’s ex parte approach under Act 491 as “unlawful, crude, and a breach of natural justice.”
