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Mavis Hawa Koomson Demands Legal Pepper Spray For Civilians

Government must legalise pepper spray for civilians, NPP National Women’s Organiser Mavis Hawa Koomson has declared, insisting women need practical tools for self-defence. The call comes days after she won the NPP Women’s Organiser race at Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, 3rd October, 2026.

Hawa Koomson, who polled 783 votes to beat Hajia Safia Mohammed with 429 votes, said her proposal is not about promoting violence but about protection. “I’m not someone who looks for fights, but if one comes my way, I’ll defend myself,” she stated after her victory. She maintained that carrying pepper spray should not be criminalized, arguing that in many countries it is handed out free for women to carry in their bags.

The former Awutu Senya East MP justified her stance with her personal experience during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun on 11th July 2025. “If I had not carried pepper spray with me, I would have died in the Ablekuma North rerun assault,” she recounted. She said it was the pepper spray that saved her life when a group of men attacked her at a polling station, and cited a recent case of a woman who took an Uber and was protected from harm because she had pepper spray.

“I’m not retracting it. I’m not sure it’s a crime to give someone a pepper spray to defend himself. I’m a living testimony. When I was beaten at Ablekuma North, it was the pepper spray that saved my life,” she insisted. The proposal has sparked debate, as Ghana Police have historically treated pepper spray as a restricted item requiring licence from approved arms dealers. In 2016, a trader was arrested in Ashanti Region for selling pepper spray without permit.

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Hawa Koomson has pledged that if government legalises it, she will ensure every Ghanaian woman is given pepper spray and training on how to stand up and be tough. “I’ll make sure every woman is given pepper spray to protect herself when I’m elected. I’ll also teach you how to stand up for yourself and be tough,” she declared. Critics, including NDC Women’s Organiser hopeful Betty Krosbi Mensah, have condemned the approach, arguing women should be empowered with leadership training and economic opportunities rather than pepper spray.

Despite criticism, Hawa Koomson says she has no regrets and will not retract her plan. She has also vowed to bring her rival Hajia Safia Mohammed on board and unite the NPP women’s wing ahead of the 2028 general elections. The debate over pepper spray legalisation now shifts to the Ministry of Interior and the Ghana Police Service, who regulate arms and self-defence equipment under Ghanaian law.

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Author: Stella Sunu • Published on Howedey.com

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