Air Marshal Michael Samson-Oje
A serving soldier in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has hauled the Attorney General before an Accra High Court over attempts to expel him.
According to the plaintiff, 204104 AB II Adu Boafo, the move is wrong and entirely groundless since he has not committed any offence to be fired.
The plaintiff believes he is being persecuted because of his links to Maxwell Kofi Jumah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart in Asokwa Constituency in the Ashanti Region, who is his maternal uncle.
The other defendants are the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
In a statement of claim, Adu said he was enlisted into the Ghana Armed Forces in October 25, 2013 and passed out in April 2014 as recruit at the Naval Base, Tema.
He said two weeks after passing out, he was picked up by the military police, led by Naval Lieutenant J.K. Bentil while on duty on a ship and detained from June 27 to September 25, 2014.
Boafo stated that he was detained in connection with some Facebook documentation.
Lawyers of the soldier claimed after thorough investigation, the plaintiff, who was cleared, returned to post, adding that the soldier was subjected to terrible inhumane conditions while in custody.
The plaintiff claimed he was banned from receiving visitors, communicating with anybody on phone, and ordered to keep away from sunshine.
Boafo stated that on the fiftieth day of solitary confinement, his condition worsened so he was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital.
Strangely, he said while he was being kept incommunicado in the guardroom, someone started a mobile phone text message campaign for financial assistance to enable him undergo an urgent medical surgery, which was completely unknown to him.
Boafo, among others, argued that he was detained in the guardroom for no offence and subjected to mental torture.
The soldier has prayed the court to order the military to pay all his entitlements before his release.
He also wants the court to award GH¢50,000 in general damages for the violation of his human rights for over 80 days in detention.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson