Several residents of the Upper East Region have petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to extend the operations of the police special taskforce “Black Maria” in the region and direct the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, to invite the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Anthony Namoo, for questioning.
Wearing red headbands and carrying placards, they delivered the petition to the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (UERCC) after staging a peaceful demonstration with a screaming banner through the streets of the region’s capital, Bolgatanga, on Saturday, 18 July 2026.
The demonstration, featuring mostly traders and commercial drivers, was led by a civil society organisation, National Patriots against Injustice and Corruption Ghana (NAPAIC-Ghana).
The petition centres on comments made by Namoo on June 30, 2026 at a remembrance ceremony for the three murdered High Court Judges in Bolgatanga.
He had alleged in public that police were “fishing out young men” under the pretext of sending them to Accra “and then they murder them on the way.”
Security risk and silence on victims
Namoo named some suspects he claimed were “extra-judicially murdered” by police and he publicly mentioned the name of the police special taskforce’s leader at the same ceremony.
NAPAIC-Ghana accused him (Namoo) of endangering police officers for naming the Black Maria leader in public. The organisation said a video emerged after Namoo’s comments, showing a man wielding a gun and threatening the Black Maria leader and his family.
“Such disclosure contradicts the duty of all citizens, especially officers of the court, to protect the safety of security personnel and their families,” the petition noted.
The demonstrators said they would condemn extra-judicial killings should such acts ever happen, but faulted the GBA Chairman for making such claims publicly without proof.
“Such grave allegations were made in a public forum without the presentation of ‘incontrovertible evidence’ to support them,” a portion of the petition reads.
They stressed that the comments could “undermine public confidence in the Ghana Police Service at a time when gains have been made” and “embolden criminals.”
NAPAIC-Ghana further criticised the GBA Chairman for failing to acknowledge victims of crime in the region. It cited the murder of a police officer on the Bolgatanga-Tamale Highway and at least four daylight armed robberies at Bolgatanga Central Market in the first half of 2026.
More demands from demonstrators
In contrast, NAPAIC-Ghana and the demonstrators commended the Inspector-General of Police, the Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, the Upper East Regional Police Commander, DCOP John Ferguson Dzineku, and the “Black Maria” team for “restoring calm in Bolgatanga and its environs”.
The organisation said it wanted the GBA chairman invited by the police for questioning on two issues. The first: the source and evidence backing his allegations of extra-judicial killings. And the second: the circumstances under which he publicly mentioned the name of the leader of the “Black Maria” taskforce, as well as to assess any security risk that may have arisen from it.
NAPAIC-Ghana also asked President Mahama to refer the matter to the General Legal Council (GLC) for review under the Legal Profession Act, 1960 (Act 32) and the Legal Profession (Professional Conduct and Etiquette) Rules, 1969 (L.I. 613), to examine the conduct of a senior member of the Bar who made public allegations without evidence.
While entreating the president to approve an extension of the stay and operations of the IGP Special Taskforce (Black Maria) in the region, the organisation also asked him to provide the police special taskforce and other security personnel with the needed logistics and support to sustain the fight against armed robbery and violent crime.
The petition also urges the president to direct the Minister for the Interior and the IGP to publicly acknowledge and reward the good work of DCOP John F. Dzineku, the “Black Maria” taskforce, and all security agencies operating in the Upper East Region.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Atanga Akamugri, was not in the region during the demonstration. The Municipal Chief Executive of Bolgatanga, Roland Atanga Ayoo, received the petition on behalf of President Mahama.
A number of placards spotted at the event read: “The Bar must not shield crime and misconduct”; “Upper East needs sustained security now”; “Mr. President, extend Black Maria’s mandate”; “Support the police, condemn the criminals”; “Crime has no colour”; “Upper East wants peace, not panic”; “Justice demands evidence, not speculation”; and “Lawyers must speak truth grounded in facts”.
Some of the placards also bore the following messages: “Exposing names of police officers endangers their lives”; “Unsubstantiated claims embolden criminals”; “Anthony Namoo, account to the police”; “GBA, acknowledge Black Maria’s good work!”; “Police lives matter. Protect Black Maria officers”; “Armed robbers are scared. Keep Black Maria!”;”Black Maria has restored peace in Upper East; and “IGP Yohuno, the good people of Upper East stand with you!”.
See NAPAIC-Ghana’s full petition to President John Dramani Mahama below:
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana/West Africa
