The Ghana Police Service has moved to halt the planned #DumsorMustStop demonstration, slated for May 25, 2024.
Renowned producer and actress Yvonne Nelson is organizing the protest, which is intended to voice opposition to Ghana’s unstable power supply.
READ ALSO: Our Leaders Have Failed Us—Lydia Forson Complains
Earlier reports indicated that it was scheduled to take place at Revolution Square in Accra. However, per the new information that has come to light, the Ghana Police Service has filed an injunction at the Accra High Court to prohibit the event.
On May 20, 2024, Superintendent Isaac Nicholas Kwabena Yeboah, representing the Ghana Police Service, submitted an affidavit requesting the court to issue an order to prevent the organizers from holding the demonstration. The application explicitly reads:
“TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Court shall be moved by Counsel for and on behalf of the Applicant herein praying this Honourable Court for an order prohibiting the respondents from holding an intended picketing fixed for 25th May, 2024 at the Revolution Square, upon the grounds contained in the accompanying affidavit and for such further order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit.”
READ ALSO: Yvonne Nelson Starts Campaign For Another #DumsorMustStop Vigil
The Ghana Police Service has cited significant security concerns as the primary reason for this legal move. Specifically, the proximity of Revolution Square to Jubilee House, the seat of government and a designated high-security zone, raises substantial safety risks, according to the police.
Given the sensitive nature of the location and the potential for disruption, particularly in the lead-up to the forthcoming elections, the police argue that the demonstration poses an unacceptable security threat.
In their submission, the police have suggested that the organizers reconsider the location for their picketing to ensure public safety and order. This proposal aims to strike a balance between the right to protest and the imperative of maintaining security and public order in a politically charged environment.
The court is scheduled to hear the police’s motion on May 24, 2024, just a day before the planned protest.
The planned demonstration is part of the #DumsorMustStop campaign, a citizen-led movement initiated in 2015, that has seen renewed activity in 2024 due to a resurgence in power outages across the country.
Leading figures such as actress Yvonne Nelson, along with Selorm Dramani Dzramado and Henry Osei Akoto, have been at the forefront of this movement. Their notice of intended picketing was submitted to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command earlier this month.
