Ghanaians anxiously waiting to hear a few remarks from the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces; President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 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.
Ghanaians woke up to the horrifying news of military men invading Ashaiman to assault residents. Violence-seeking gun-wielding military personnel, stormed Ashaiman on Tuesday dawn March 7, 2023, with helicopters and armored vehicles, to brutalize civilians following the murder of a military officer, Trooper Sherriff Imoro, who was allegedly stabbed in the town on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Reasons for his murder are currently not known.
There have been several calls for government to speak about the issue and many expected the President of the republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Addo-Akufo, to address it during his State of the Nation Address on Wednesday but that was not the case. The only mention of the military in the address, was when the President listed equipment that have been provided by government to protect citizens.
“Mr. Speaker, I am able to cite here some of the equipment we have provided the military to help them protect us all…Allow me to list a few. The Army has received one hundred and four (104) armoured personnel carriers, seventy (70) utility troop carrying vehicles, twenty (20) armoured vehicles, eighty-five (85) assorted Toyota vehicles, fifty (50) Ankai buses, forty (40) Jeep J8 vehicles.
“Some Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) equipment, large quantities of communication/surveillance equipment, varying quantities of weapons and four (4) un-maned aerial vehicle systems. And the Ghana Navy, has taken delivery of four (4) offshore security vessels and four (4) Zodiac boats.”
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Some Ghanaians, especially Ashaiman residents were looking forward to hearing some comments from the President on the matter, but he went mute on the issue throughout the 23-page speech he read in Parliament.
The innocent residents were lined up and beaten to a pulp, as the town became what residents described as a ‘ghost’ area. Social media was on Tuesday awash with videos and photos from Ashaiman, on the brutalities. Those who were able to escape from the claws of the military, locked themselves up in their rooms unable to go to work or attend any business of interest.
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 Ghana Armed Forces in the statement announced that following the operation at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police. GAF said the suspects will later be handed over to the police for screening and further action.
Slain Soldier’s Mother Speaks Out
The mother of the 22- year-old soldier whose alleged murder triggered military brutalities in Ashaiman, Afia Kyerah, has described her son’s death as very painful.
According to her, she is devastated by the death of her son. She revealed that she had no idea her son was visiting Ashaiman, after taking a sick leave from his base in Sunyani, in the Bono Region.
Afia Kyerah told a section of the media that “Sherrif didn’t have any friends, he was always with me, some neighbours were always teasing me for turning him into a mummy’s boy. I had no idea he was coming to Ashaiman, I had no idea he will die like this, his death is so painful, I’m sad and devastated,” the mother said.
The 22-year-old soldier with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in Sunyani; in the Bono Region, was reportedly stabbed to death by unknown attackers on Saturday dawn. The soldier was said to be returning from his girlfriend’s house in Taifa, a suburb of Ashaiman and was heading toward his residence at Zongo-Laka in Ashaiman, when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Many Ghanaians who have expressed their angst over the happenings in Ashaiman, described it as disappointing and sad.
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