Ambrose Dery
The Ministers for Interior and Defence, Ambrose Dery and Dominic Nitiwul respectively have regretted the police/military clash in Tamale on May 16 and said a five-member committee has been set up to investigate the causes of the confrontation.
Mr Ambrose Dery, who read a joint statement by him and his colleague minister, said the five-member committee, which comprises personnel from the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces and the Attorney-General’s Department, would not only look at the causes of the clash, but would also recommend further interventions beyond the existing guidelines and protocols.
The interior minister said a day after the incident, he and the defence minister convened a meeting with the top hierarchy of the police and the military during which a decision was taken to dispatch a high-powered delegation of the two institutions to hold separate meetings and a joint durbar with the rank and file of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service in Tamale.
Mr Dery said after the meeting, the two institutions agreed to fully implement existing guidelines regarding the handling of personnel on disciplinary issues and breaches of the law.
“The adherence to this will forestall the occurrence of such unfortunate incidents,” he noted.
The interior minister further said that following the initial investigations, the two institutions had agreed to hold regular joint durbars and other activities to enhance interactions and cooperation between them.
“Currently, fully operational cooperation has been restored in Tamale and the entire Northern Region, as pertains to the other regions in the country,” he said.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr