Accra, February 7, 2018//-Ghanaians overwhelmingly reject mob “justice” and the lawless activities of political vigilante groups, a recent Afrobarometer survey has revealed.
A vast majority disapprove of lawless actions by political-party vigilante groups and want them prosecuted, irrespective of their political-party affiliation, it added.
Similarly, an overwhelming majority say suspected criminals should only be dealt with by the police. The survey, however, revealed that a significant minority of Ghanaians sometimes find mob “justice” acceptable.
These two forms of lawlessness, though not new, have dominated news headlines in Ghana, receiving wide condemnations from citizens, civil society organisations, the media and political leaders alike.
Key findings
Eight of 10 Ghanaians (81%) say citizens should always rely on the police to deal with suspected criminals.
About one in seven (15%), however, think it is sometimes acceptable for citizens to administer instant “justice” – a view that is shared by 39% of residents in the Upper West and Northern regions.
Most Ghanaians believe it is “wrong and punishable” for party vigilantes to attack government appointees whose appointment they disagree with (88%), to lock up government offices to protest unfulfilled expectations of employment (87%), and to destroy state property (91%).
Almost nine of 10 Ghanaians (88%) “approve” or “strongly approve” of government prosecuting and punishing political-party vigilantes who engage in acts of lawlessness, irrespective of their party affiliation.
A slim majority (53%) of Ghanaians say the government has performed “fairly well” or “very well” in handling the criminal activities of political-party vigilante groups.
Instructively, Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 35 countries in Africa.
Six rounds of surveys were conducted between 1999 and 2015, and Round 7 surveys (2016/2018) are currently underway. Afrobarometer conducts face-toface interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples.
The Afrobarometer team in Ghana, led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), interviewed 2,400 adult Ghanaians between September 9 and 25, 2017. A sample of this size yields results with a margin of error of +/-2% at a 95% confidence level. Previous surveys have been conducted in Ghana in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2014.
African Eye Report
