<<Print>>

Mr Sidik Ubeidu, the Upper West Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has indicated that the Commission is working hard to help reduce congestion at the Wa Central Prison and police cells.

He said as part of the effort, CHRAJ held discussions with the Supervising High Court Judge in Wa in 2019 in ways of decongesting the remand centres.

Mr Ubeidu who revealed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa, said the Commission was working to ensure that the rights of every person was guaranteed.

He noted that as part of the discussions, CHRAJ entreated the Supervising High Court Judge to encourage Judges and Magistrates under his Jurisdiction to reconsider the remand sentences they gave to suspects.

Mr Ubeidu disclosed that the Commission recorded 305 cases of human rights abuse, administrative Justice and issues related to corruption from the public within the period of January to December 2019 for investigation and settlement, out of which 220 were successfully settled.

He added that 63 cases were also recorded in 2018, bringing the total number to 368.

He said out of the number, 45 were still pending, four involved minors, 14 referred to the appropriate agencies including; the Ghana Police Service, 36 withdrawn, 22 cases declined and 44 ceased investigations.

He said the commission also carried out public education on human rights abuse, administrative justice and anti-corruption at the institutional and community levels as well as through the media.

That, he said, was to enable the public to be abreast with such issues and to report same to the commission when the need arises.

He explained that the commission also conducted its routine inspection visits to the Wa Central Prison and Police cells and donated assorted items including; toiletries, soaps and detergents among others valued at GH¢ 4,000.00 to the two centres.

Mr Ubeidu said the Commission also fixed a broken-down Water Closet (WC) at the Wa Police Cells as means of helping to improve the sanitation situation in the cell.

Meanwhile, information from the Wa Central Prison indicated that the facility that was supposed to contain 100 inmates was currently housing 179 of them.