Soldiers who molested some civilians in the Upper West regional capital, Wa, in a search for a missing mobile phone, have been charged, tried and punished by the Military High Command.
Minister for Defence Dominic Nitiwul who announced this on the floor of Parliament yesterday explained that while some of the soldiers had their ranks reduced, others have been slapped with 30 days each in detention with others on schedule for transfer out of the region.
According to him, with the exception of the Duty Officer, all personnel who were on duty on the day of the incident have been punished.
He stated that the Duty Officer, a Lieutenant, who reportedly gave the soldiers permission to invade the town, is set to stand trial, which will commence on or before Wednesday 14 July 2021.
“The Orderly Sergeant who was a Staff Sergeant has been reduced to Corporal while the Guard Commander who was a Corporal has been reduced to Private. The Sentry on duty on the day, a Lance Corporal has also been reduced to Private.
“The remaining soldiers involved in the incident will be transferred out of the region,” he said.
He indicated that at the time of the incident both the Regional Minister and the Commanding Officer were in Tamale and Accra respectively on official duties and have therefore been absolved of any involvement.
Narrating the genesis of the incident to the House, Mr. Nitiwul stated that on 30th June 2021, one of the soldiers alleged his phone was snatched from him at about 6:00pm at Tindama Junction, a suburb of Wa.
The soldier, he said, subsequently informed a colleague the day after who in turn informed the Duty Officer who reportedly permitted the troops to rummage the town in search of the missing phone, which eventually led to the brutalities.
He indicated that in the course of the incident, 11 persons suffered various degrees of injuries, four persons were admitted at the Municipal Hospital but three were treated and discharged.
“The fourth person, Mr. Gafaru Mohammed was later transferred to the Upper West Regional Hospital where he was successfully operated upon. Currently, the victim is responding to treatment.
“Additionally, victims interrogated have reported the loss of thirteen 13 mobile phones, a tricycle motor, and an amount of GH¢1,460.00.
“However, the mobile phones and the tricycle motor have been retrieved and returned to the owners. No money has yet been retrieved,” he stated.
Very disciplined military
The Defence Minister noted that notwithstanding the Wa and other incidents, members of the Ghana Military remain very disciplined, well trained and respected across the world for their professionalism.
“The swift action taken by the Military High Command among other reasons is to re-enforce the sense of discipline among the troops and to also safeguard their worldwide reputation of being a professional Armed Force that members of the Ghanaian Armed Forces are known for.
“It is in this regard that government will continue to re-equip the Armed Forces to enable them to carry out their duty of protecting us and our territory,” he assured.
He assured the House that has personally paid the medical bills of the people affected that were submitted to the Regional Minister by the Medical Director of the Upper West Regional Hospital and the Medical Superintendent of the Wa Municipal Hospital.
He promised that other bills that will be brought to the Military Command’s attention through the Regional Minister will also be paid.
Leaders’ response
In his reaction to the Minister’s statement, Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu noted that searching for missing phones is not part of the responsibilities of the military and urged the Minister to take appropriate steps across the country to de-militarize the civilian state.
According to him, there are too many people with too many arms across the country, and warned that is not the way to go.
Majority Whip Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh said there is the need to go further to heal the seemingly damaged relationship between the military and civilians.
“We need to do more than just investigating and then churning out deserved punishment. We must up that relationship between civilians and the army. That for me is important. Regardless of the fact that the role of the army is defined – maintaining territorial integrity. They need the people of this country to survive and to execute that constitutional mandate”, he stated.
He urged Mr. Nitiwul to continue to keep his eyes on the situation, stressing that “we don’t want to wake up one day and hear that the matter has gotten out of hand”.
The Majority Chief Whip also called on the Minister for the Interior to ensure strict control over the number of arms in the system to ensure the safety of the entire country.
