A Justice nominee for Ghana’s Supreme Court, Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, has admonished Ghanaians to resort to the rule of law in dealing with matters rather than taking the law into their own hands.
He has condemned mob justice, reemphasising that it is not right for people to settle matters with others on their own through lynching, demonstrations, or vigilante acts.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament Friday, June 20, 2025, he said “I believe that nobody can use mob justice or demonstrations to resolve a legal matter.”
When asked by the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, about the phenomenon of mob justice and its implications on constitutional governance, Justice Ackaah-Boafo said all legal matters should use the legal processes as codified in the supreme law of the land, the 1992 Constitution.
“If somebody has done something wrong, the judicial process should be allowed to take its place. Using mob justice clearly is illegal, and people who engage in it must be dealt with by the law,” he argued.
According to him, the public mistrust in the justice system which is usually cited as the reason for mob justice is unfortunate, urging the public to trust in state institutions and the people that serve in there.
“The issue of people not trusting the judiciary is a result of the general perception of all of us. But as Ghanaians, we need to believe and trust in our institutions. Those who work in the justice delivery system are Ghanaians, so then, you don’t develop this mistrust because somebody has gone to be a judge. You either trust the person or you don’t.
“Let us have faith in the judicial system and allow the courts to work rather than taking the law into our hands,” he said.
