Kumasi Mayor, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi

The Board Chairman of Amnesty International Ghana, Francis Nyantakyi, has criticised Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, the Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), for his apparent disregard for the rule of law.

The KMA boss recently issued a stern warning, stating that anyone caught selling on the streets of Kumasi would face harsh consequences, including being whipped.

According to him, previous efforts to remove vendors from the pavements — such as seizing their goods and making arrests — have failed, as traders persistently return, thereby exacerbating traffic congestion in the city.

Speaking at a press conference in Kumasi on Monday, April 14, Mr. Boadi claimed that his new approach — which he described as a blend of democratic ideals and military-style enforcement — would effectively deter street vendors.

“I have my own military-democratic style which I will be implementing. When we say leave the space and you don’t leave, and I get there and you’re still there with my boys — right there and then, we will beat you.

In the middle of Adum, if I’m alone, you’ll be lucky. But if I’m with my ten boys in their pickup with their whips — trust me, we will beat you. If you don’t want to experience that, do what is right and lawful.

This is Otumfuo’s city, the Garden City of West Africa, and we have to preserve it. If you want to make my job difficult, I will make your body feel the difficulty you’re causing me,” he warned.

In response to the Mayor’s comments, Francis Nyantakyi, during an interview with Joy FM monitored by GhanaWeb, stated that the Mayor has no place in Ghana’s governance if he does not uphold the rule of law.

“We need to analyze and find ways to support these men and women to do their business legitimately without endangering their lives — not to threaten them.

The most unfortunate part of this situation is that the Mayor seems not to believe in the rule of law. And anyone who does not believe in the rule of law has no business in the governance of our country.

For heaven’s sake, Ghana is a democratic country. We believe in the protection of human rights, enshrined in Chapter Five of the Constitution. So for a Mayor to say he doesn’t trust the police and will instead put his own men in the back of a pickup truck to assault people — I mean, it is very unfortunate,” Mr. Nyantakyi said.

KA

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