BY Daniel Bampoe
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has officially cleared former Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and former Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, of any wrongdoing in connection with violent incidents that marred both the 2020 and 2024 general elections in her constituency.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Mubarak announced the findings of a special investigative task force established by the Interior Ministry to review unresolved cases of election-related violence.
According to him, the probe found no evidence implicating Hawa Koomson in the fatal shooting that occurred during the 2024 general elections in Kasoa.
“The investigative team’s findings have substantiated the position that Mavis Hawa Koomson bears no responsibility for the unfortunate incident that led to the loss of life in Awutu Senya East,” the minister said.
“The accounts provided by witnesses, coupled with a lack of credible evidence against her, make it clear that earlier accusations were unfounded.”
The violence, which broke out on the night of December 7, 2024, near the Steps to Christ polling centre, resulted in the death of 30-year-old Yusif Larri Idriss, who sustained gunshot wounds after shots were fired from a Mahindra pickup truck.
The incident sparked a nationwide debate over electoral security and the alleged involvement of political actors.
In the immediate aftermath, the then National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor, accused Hawa Koomson — who was the incumbent MP — of orchestrating the attack.
She alleged that a black V8 vehicle linked to Koomson’s campaign chased and fired at her convoy while she toured polling centres.
“They shot into our vehicles and two of my people were hit,” Naa Koryoo claimed during an Onua TV interview on December 8, 2024, adding that one of the bullets struck her official Mahindra pickup.
However, in the minister’s briefing, he revealed that Ms. Okunor later denied being at the scene when the shooting occurred and told investigators she had “no knowledge of the circumstances” leading to the violence.
“Her convoy was not attacked, and she was nowhere near the scene of the incident,” the Interior Minister disclosed.
Investigators also indicated that key witnesses — including Mohammed Ali, who was alleged to have been in the Mahindra truck from which shots were fired — refused to cooperate with authorities.
“Some of the individuals involved have evaded the Task Force, and one suspect has reportedly been flown abroad for medical treatment,” Muntaka said.
Reacting to the findings, Mavis Hawa Koomson issued a statement welcoming the report, describing it as a vindication of her long-standing position that the allegations were politically motivated.
She accused her opponents of using “lies and propaganda” to destroy her reputation and incite public anger against her.
“It is pertinent to highlight that the unfounded accusations, orchestrated and led by Ms. Phyllis Naa Koryoo, precipitated an unjustified and unprovoked attack against me during the Ablekuma North by-election earlier this year — an incident that nearly cost me my life,” she stated.
The renewed report by the Interior Ministry is expected to bring closure to one of the most controversial political flashpoints in the recent electoral history — a case that symbolises the deepening culture of political violence and mistrust between the NPP and NDC in the Central Region.
Naa Koryoo’s Reaction
However, the MP, Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor, has launched a scathing response to claims by Muntaka, describing his recent comments clearing former Fisheries Minister Mavis Hawa Koomson of wrongdoing in the 2024 election-related violence as “false and misleading.”
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday evening, at Parliament House in Accra, Naa Koryoo vehemently rejected portions of the Interior Minister’s report and remarks, accusing him of peddling falsehoods and deliberately twisting her testimony before the Presidential Task Force on Electoral Violence.
“At no point did I ever deny that attacks took place,” she said. “I told the task force that on election day, my convoy was being trailed by a V8 vehicle believed to belong to Hawa Koomson, accompanied by a NADMO pickup with a green government number plate. I felt threatened and decided to head home for my safety. To suggest that I denied these events is a complete fabrication.”
The Awutu Senya East MP explained that she had remained silent out of respect for the investigative process but could no longer stay quiet after hearing what she described as “a distorted and politically tainted version of events.”
