The Ghanaian government has condemned the excessive use of force by the police to disperse the protest, organised by prospective law students on Monday afternoon.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said that the confusion was “an embarrassing spectacle and it is unacceptable”.
“Generally, it is totally unacceptable that an otherwise peaceful demonstration by people, who want access to legal education will end up in the scenes that we saw on television and social media,” he said.
The law students were demanding reforms in legal education in the country.
They started marching from the Ghana School of Law at Makola, in the Central Business District of Accra, with the intention to settle at the Jubilee House to present a petition to the President.
But the police moved in to disperse them around the Ako-Adjei Interchange in Accra with water cannons and rubber bullets, with 13 of the protesters arrested. Others sustained injuries.
Although the police have justified the use of force against the students, the minister said the police should have exercised restraint.
“The government also believes that the police must always abide by their clarion call, which is to protect and serve…We are of the view that the handling of such a situation must always be done in a manner that allows a balanced achievement of the objectives,” the minister said.
DAP/GIK/APA