Tamale — The Controversial "Yawuo II" Demonstration by the Committee for Joint Action (CJA), which attracted stiff opposition from the Northern Regional Police Command, ended peacefully in Tamale on Saturday.

The over twenty-five to thirty thousand men and women who painted the streets of Tamale with their prescribed all red attires, did not entertain any fear whatsoever but courageously marched through principal streets amidst drumming, dancing, careless motor riding and gymnastic displays.

The demonstration which lasted for over three hours attracted most leaders of all the opposition political parties and other top executives of the CJA including Kwesi Pratt Junior, Bernard Morna, Haruna Iddrisu, Lawyer Inusah Fuseini, Victor Smith, Gilbert Iddi, Issah Issahaku Insect, Alhassan Basharu Daballi, Sofo Azorka and the Member of Parliament for Mion among others.

Several other onlookers, who did not have any intention to demonstrate were attracted by the large crowd and joined them trail. They kept shouting, "Yawu oo!" meaning "we are dying" as they joined the crowd.

Several placards were also displayed some of which read; "NPP is Equal to Corruption, Kufuor is a thief," "NPP Killed Ya-Na and Issah Mobila", "the Wahala is too much" NPP government has failed us" and "Where is the employment NPP promised" among others.

The demonstration brought business activities in the Tamale Metro to a standstill as several people selling along the streets also lined up to catch glimpse of the demonstrators. It also brought about serious traffic jam especially on the Tamale-Bolgatanga road.

It was anticipated that the police would join forces with the military to disperse the crowd after the leadership of the CJA had vehemently defied police order and a circuit court injunction restraining them from embarking on the procession. However, The Chronicle can confirm that no security personnel were identified throughout the march.

The refusal of the police to partake in the demonstration was not only laudable but contributed to the peaceful outcome of the procession since most of the demonstrators were apparently ready to protect their interest through all possible means.

But for the initial misunderstanding between the police and the CJA, which caused panic among the residents, the participants would have exceeded the presumed twenty-five thousand.

Mr. Kwesi Pratt Junior, who was highly charged and overwhelmed by the large crowd, described the march as the most successful, which even surpassed the recent one in Accra.

According to him, the CJA would continue to rise against what he termed the bad and inhumane policies of the NPP government, which had put majority of Ghanaians in difficult economic situations. "This is just the beginning of our actions". Mr. Pratt speech was however brought to an abrupt end when an Air-Born Force Helicopter stormed the final meeting point of the demonstrators and blew heavy dust, which suddenly dispersed the crowd.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Lawyer Inusah Fuseini, Member of Parliament for Tamale Central also described the demonstration as a success which he indicated attracted over "400,000" followers, who constituted the suffering masses.

Commending the CJA members for the peaceful show, the MP descended on the Police for turning what he termed a "core duty" into a right, which is evidenced by their decision to cancel the demonstration.

Though this paper has learnt that the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) would be meeting anytime soon to decide on whether the CJA leadership should be arrested and prosecuted for allegedly defying court injunction, Lawyer Inusah insisted that no injunction had been served on the CJA. Besides, the leadership was ready to go all out to defend itself and the image of the Committee.