Parliament has directed the Defence Minister to immediately withdraw military personnel assisting the installation of prepaid meters in Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipalities in the Eastern Region.
The directive was given by the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, on Friday, June 24 after the Member of Parliament for the area, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi raised the matter on the floor of the house, indicating that the presence of the military men was heightening tensions in the community.
“We are also directing that the Minister for Defence withdraws the military attaché in the area for the time being for us to address certain matters, I so direct.”
Residents in the Krobo area are unhappy with the development over the deployment of over 50 soldiers to the area.
Last week, the residents of Kpongunor at Odumase-Krobo staged a demonstration against the installation of prepaid meters and the deployment of armed military personnel to the area.
The protestors mostly the youth clad in red armbands and traditional war apparel, chanted war songs to express their displeasure.
Their concerns follow the deployment of 50 military personnel to the Krobo area to provide security for the staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, as they replace all postpaid meters with prepaid meters on June 14, 2022.
The soldiers are being assisted by National Security operatives and the Police.
Public Relations Officer for ECG, Tema Region, Sakyiwaa Mensah, in an earlier statement said the military was providing technical support since they were undergoing a refresher training course at ECG training school.
Customers who still insist on rejecting prepaid meters are taken off the national grid.
– BY Daniel Bampoe