The lead convener of the #FixtheCountry movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has condemned the Ghana Armed Forces over the actions of its officers, who are reported to have brutalized residents of Ashaiman, over the alleged murder of a soldier.
According to him, the military personnel’s actions, were wrong and stupid and set a dangerous precedent. In a post shared on Facebook on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Barker-Vormawor, explained that the military has no law enforcement powers and cannot even investigate crimes, even if it is committed against their officers.
“The rampant way in which military officials roam our streets and decide to take the law into their own hands, must be watched ooo.
“I totally condemn the killing of the young military officer in Ashaiman. However, to think that Military persons can just storm communities and brutalize them, in revenge under a democracy is a really, really dangerous trend oooo.”
Oliver Barker-Vormawor
He also said that the failure of the state to prosecute military men, who caused havoc at Ejura and Wa, is what has encouraged them to continue in the brutalizing of ordinary Ghanaians. “I am willing to provide pro bono legal representation to anybody who was injured, brutalized, or even detained by the Military for their stupidity in Ashaiman,” he added.
Meanwhile the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman Constituency, Ernest Norgbey, has confirmed that some military personnel in Ashaiman, appear to have taken the law into their hands, moving from house to house and coarsening residents in the area.
This comes after videos of the incident captured by some residents, went viral on social media. In some of these videos, personnel were seen hitting and dehumanizing residents who were outside their rooms.
Military Brutality At Ashaiman Unfortunate And Unconstitutional
Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Professor Kwesi Aning, has slammed the Ghana Armed Forces, for unleashing mayhem on residents of Ashaiman.
Military personnel stormed Ashaiman and brutalized anyone they came across, following the supposed murder of a military officer in the area. However, Prof. Aning, said the actions of the military are unfortunate and unconstitutional, and a usurpation of the arresting responsibilities of the Ghana Police Service.
The security analyst, said “all crimes are punishable by law, but in punishing those crimes, we cannot take the law into our own hands.” He maintained that though the killing of the military personnel is condemnable, under no circumstance should the military have moved to the area, in an attempt to arrest the supposed killers.
“When a person is in uniform representing the state of Ghana and you attack that person, you’ve attacked the state of Ghana. The response mechanism for those who feel offended, was to go to the police and report because it is the Ghana Police Service, that is the frontline agency that should have undertaken the investigations, find the evidence, and use it to prosecute those arrested.
“It is unfortunate that the friends of this young man who has unfortunately died, have taken the law into their hands and brought the reputation of Ghana, into disrepute.”
Professor Kwesi Aning
READ ALSO: Ashaiman: Military Officers Detain 72 Inhabitants Over Combatant’s Demise
