A security analyst, Emmanuel Kotin, says the loud silence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the military raid at Ashaiman is untenable.
Ghanaians who were anxiously waiting to hear a few remarks from the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, on the mayhem unleashed on residents of Ashaiman by the military had their hopes dashed as the first gentleman of the land was silent on the issue when he delivered the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Wednesday.
Military personnel stormed Ashaiman on Tuesday dawn March 7, 2023, with helicopters and armoured vehicles, to brutalise civilians following the murder of a military officer, Trooper Sheriff Imoro, who was allegedly stabbed in the town on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
“I think it’s not too late for the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces to address the nation. The loud silence is untenable,” Mr. Kotin suggested to the President on the Big Issue on Citi TV hosted by Selorm Adonoo.
He blasted the military personnel for molesting innocent residents describing their actions as unacceptable.
“The actions of the military is not acceptable in a democratic dispensation such as ours. But in the healing process, I think that the mad moments have become one too many. If we don’t set exemplars, I don’t think it will help the process,” Mr. Kotin underscored.
The Executive Director Africa Centre for Security opined that the military is helped to rediscover its role as mandated by the Constitution.
“Under the law are the military permitted to embark on swoops? No, especially within internal criminal jurisprudence. The very citizens they brutalised they were appealing to them to volunteer information, how does that work? I think we need to help our military to rediscover its role as mandated by the Constitution,” the security analyst further suggested.
He called on the military to issue an unqualified apology to the victims and Ghanaians at large.
“I’m expecting a statement from the military apologising to the good people of Ghana for their excesses,” he said.
The soldier, according to sources, was from Taifa and heading toward his residence at Zongo-Laka in Ashaiman when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Imoro Sheriff who was found dead in a pool of blood near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman was laid to rest on March 9.
Though he was carrying a laptop and other electronic gadgets the attackers made away with only his iPhone.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in a statement justified the brutalities adding that the raid was not to avenge the death of the soldier but to fish out perpetrators of heinous crimes.
GAF announced that its high command sanctioned the swoop. The military during the swoop arrested 184 suspects, but they were all later released by the military.
The Police after a week of sustained intelligence-led operation arrested the key suspects involved in the murder of Imoro Sheriff.
The arrest was solely police intelligence work without the involvement of the military.
