Former President John Dramani Mahama has commiserated with the Ghana Armed Forces over the death of one its soldiers in Ashaiman, further urging them to exercise restraint for investigation and subsequent prosecution to be executed.
According to him, he is deeply saddened by the death of one of the soldiers, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, at such a young age, in Ashaiman. He, along with the former first lady, Lordina Mahama, extended their deepest condolences to his bereaved and grieving family, and the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces.
“As your former Commander in Chief, I do appreciate how such unexpected deaths affect the Force. However, I encourage you to exercise restraint and allow due process to investigate, apprehend, prosecute and punish the perpetrator(s) of the dastardly act.”
John Dramani Mahama
Mr Mahama noted that there are obviously many people who live and work in Ashaiman who are innocent of this heinous crime. As such, the military must, therefore, refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice to them.
The former President equally sympathized with the victims of the torture in Ashaiman as a result of this unfolding death of a serving soldier.
“I pray we find peace and harmony in our dear country, as the government and state institutions immediately step in to address this potentially inflammatory development between Ashaiman and the Ghana Armed Forces; including providing commensurate compensation for all persons affected.”
John Dramani Mahama
CHRAJ condemns attack on civilians
Meanwhile, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has condemned last Tuesday’s military exercise at Taifa, a suburb of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra region.
According to Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the exercise does not pass the test for an intelligence-led operation, emphasizing that the military acted wrongly.
“Because of their personal interest they come (to Ashaiman), takeover the law and do what they want. I completely condemn it. It is degrading and dehumanizing treatment to put such persons who are going to their work, arrest them, make them do press ups in mud and sitting down with all their clothing removed apart from some briefs is completely unacceptable and that this is exacted by the army of Ghana? It’s completely unacceptable.”
Joseph Whittal
Mr Whittal stated that any defense of the act by any leadership of the military is a misplaced support and there is the need to call what is “wrong, wrong and this is completely wrong”.
Commenting on the possibility of reprisals from aggrieved residents, Mr Whittal noted that the military still have weapons that they can always apply. Owing to this, he urged the community of Ashaiman to hold themselves and allow lawful bodies like the Ghana police to investigate and take the right steps.
Furthermore, the CHRAJ Commissioner stated that when called upon, the Commission will take the right steps because it is the “ombudsman that has constitutional powers to investigate military issues” in the event that the military goes beyond its normal duty and it affects the rights of people.
However for a CHRAJ investigation to take place, Mr Whittal noted that the process can only be triggered if an official complaint is filed on the matter.
It will be recalled that a contingent from Ghana’s Armed Forces stormed a community in Ashaiman and allegedly brutalized residents they could set their eyes on. Subsequently, the military rounded up over one hundred individuals who the Ghana Armed Forces describe as suspects in connection with the murder of a 22-year-old service man, Sherrif Imoro.
Although the action by the military was widely considered as a move to avenge the slain soldier, the Ghana Armed Forces in a statement released explained that the exercise was an “intelligence-led operation”. Nonetheless, various key stakeholders have condemned the act by the military.
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