The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied a report accusing three soldiers of a robbery at Amasaman Nsakina on Saturday, June 14, 2022.
A statement issued and signed by Naval Captain Michael Larbi, Director of Public Relations said GAF wishes to state categorically that the Police have not made such an arrest.
He said though pictures of some three soldiers were depicted alongside the said story, the allegation of robbery has not been established against them.
“It is therefore premature for such conclusions to be drawn and for their pictures to have been put in the public domain. It must be placed on record that following a complaint made by a Nigerian national and also based on a request by the Amasaman Police, GAF, through a picture, was able to identify one soldier and subsequently two colleagues who happened to be at Amasaman on the said date.
Adding that, “They were invited by the Military Police on Friday 10 June 2022, to assist in investigations into an initial claim of seizure of phones, extortion and forced entry into a premise at Nsakina.”
He revealed that based on this, the Military Police and Civil Police commenced a joint investigation into the allegations.
Per the statement, “ It is given this that the Military Police escorted the three soldiers to the Amasaman Police Station where they were compelled to avail themselves for their photographs to be taken as part of a routine investigation process”
The director of Public Relations maintained that the pictures released to The Chronicle and into the public domain alleging they were engaged in a robbery when that fact has not been established was wrong.
“From preliminary checks by the Military Police, the soldiers, one of whom has relatives in the area prone to robbers, claimed they monitored suspicious movements in a particular house while on a visit. They proceeded to the house and were ushered in willingly by an occupant. Upon entry, they noticed some Nigerians busily working on laptops. The leader of the group denied involvement in cyber fraud or any criminal activity but expressed readiness to report any such acts to the security services and therefore requested the mobile number of one of the soldiers.
He said the allegation that the soldiers scaled a wall to seize mobile phones made by the Nigerian and whether the soldiers’ extorted monies have been refuted by the soldiers.
“Nonetheless these allegations are being jointly investigated by the Military Police and the Civil Police and the truth is yet to be ascertained. It is therefore unclear the motive of the haste in releasing such information with pictures into the public domain, on a yet to be determined matter,” the statement said.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey