Another military officer – this time from the Burma Camp in Accra – has been nabbed by the Enchi Police in the Western Region for alleged extortion.
The suspect, Corporal Dovlo Agbeshie, believed to be a member of the band unit of the Ghana Armed Forces, was arrested yesterday allegedly extorting huge sums of money from some Chinese and local miners at Enchi and its surrounding communities.
This is the second time in less than a month that a soldier has been busted by the police for alleged extortion and robberies in the region.
It would be recalled that recently three soldiers from the Takoradi Air Force Base were arrested for allegedly robbing some people of gold and cash in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the region.
The suspects’ names were given as Oliviete Solomon, Agantwuo Agana Joseph and Osei Abraham.
In the recent case, the suspect was arrested at the Yiwabra barrier at Enchi together with his suspected civilian accomplices.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the residents in the area, who had had enough of the said extortions by Corporal Agbeshie and his accomplices, hinted the police, leading to their arrest.
Apart from his military uniform, the Enchi Police also retrieved three different mobile phones from Corporal Agbeshie.
Confirming the matter to DAILY GUIDE in an interview, ASP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the arrest.
“The military man is alleged to have extorted various sums of money from some Chinese and Ghanaian miners at Asankragwa. When the police wanted to arrest him and two other civilian accomplices, he managed to escape and was arrested at the barrier, near Enchi,” she narrated.
ASP Adiku pointed out that the soldier and the others had since been handed over to the Asankragwaa Divisional police for further investigations
CDS Cautions
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lt General Obed Akwa, has cautioned military personnel to maintain the army’s strong tradition of discipline.
He also urged them to be the embodiment of professionalism if they want to excel in their career.
Addressing an all-ranks durbar organized by the GAF at the Air Force Base in Takoradi recently, Lt General Obed Akwa entreated, “I plead with you and demand from you absolute discipline – from the last airman, ratings or soldiers to the highest ranking officer in this garrison.”
He continued, “Effective today, I don’t want to hear any case of indiscipline from this region or garrison; and I don’t want to receive any negative reports coming from this region. All that we want to hear is good report so that we all can make the GAF better than we came to meet it.”
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi