Richard Ahiagbah
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the brutal attacks by the military from Michel Camp on some residents of Ashiaman following the alleged killing of a soldier last weekend.
The Director of Communications of NPP, Richard Ahiagbah in a post on his Twitter page said “We must condemn the conduct of some military personnel circulating on social media, where they are brutalizing residents of Ashaiman for the crude murder of a soldier. Two wrongs don’t make a right. We are a country of laws; let’s allow the laws to work. #Ghana #GhanaMonth”.
The NPP reactions follow condemnations from a section of netizens speaking against the conduct of the soldiers for invading Ashiaman and going on a rampage on some innocent citizens.
So far over 180 youth in Ashiaman are currently been held at Michel Camp after being arrested by armed soldiers on Tuesday.
A suburb of Ashaiman known as Taifa on Tuesday dawn was forced into a self-imposed curfew after some soldiers reportedly stormed the area.
The soldier was reportedly killed by a mob in Ashaiman at the weekend.
Initially, photos from the incident scene showed the lifeless body of the victim, who was in what seemed to be torn trousers in military camouflage colors.
His military cap and a white cloth had been used to cover his face. Also, his bag in military camouflage colors was lying close to his body.
The 22-year-old deceased soldier who was stationed in Sunyani came to Burma Camp for a course and asked for permission to visit the mother in Ashaiman.
He went to Ashaiman on Saturday and visited the mother.
Sources said after the visit he took the opportunity to visit a lady friend in the evening and on his way back to his mother’s place at about midnight was killed with his phone taken away.
Intelligence suggests his killing might have been premeditated.
The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, who confirmed the arrest of some of the youth by the soldiers said “72 persons per the briefing given me by the Assembly member for the area” have been taken into custody by the soldiers”.
According to him, “But as I speak to you the police commander just told me that 72 persons are an understatement and that they are more than that, they [soldiers] are still arresting people when you go certain areas of the community”.
The MP further confirmed to Citi Fm, that the soldiers after the dawn operation left the area, but around midday, he received a phone call that another batch of military men had trooped into Ashaiman.
“I spoke to the police commander and he told me on authority that there are military guys still in the constituency, all over the constituency molesting innocent residents,” he said.
He explained that the constituents were worried about the modus operandi of the military.
“Because you see armored cars, you see military vehicles, you see helicopters, which means that this thing has been sanctioned by the higher authority and so everybody is handicapped in this matter,” he added.
“So we are just calling on them to call back their men to the barracks because these people that they are molesting, they are innocent people, I’m not sure they know anything about the killing of the military guy,” the MP said.
Soldiers Attack
The soldiers reportedly, numbering not less than 20 stormed the area to question anyone they came across and reportedly beat them up.
This forced people to lock themselves up in their homes, fearing they will be beaten up by the soldiers.
Some eyewitnesses, who recounted their experience on social media said they saw the soldiers around 2am.
A victim said he woke up around 4am to see that the area which was usually busy around that time with many shops open was still very quiet.
He assumed that it was a result of the downpour but when he stepped out, he saw some soldiers on the stretch, and no vehicles were moving.
He saw soldiers approaching so he quickly rushed back into the house and locked the gate.
He said his brother later told him he woke up earlier and saw soldiers beating up some other people.
Another eyewitness said the said soldiers knocked on doors and anybody who came out allegedly received some slaps.
-BY Daniel Bampoe