Invasion of Ashaiman by military officers: Here are the recommendations submitted the by the Defence and Interior Committee

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, last year tasked its Defence and Interior Committee to investigate circumstances leading the invasion of Ashaiman, a suburb of Accra, by military personnel.

The soldiers’ action was occasioned by the killing of one of their colleagues, Trooper Imoro Sherif, in the town on March 7, 2023.

The attack by the soldiers resulted in the injury and death of some residents.

The parliamentary committee submitted its report, cosigned by the Vice Chairperson of the Committee, Mrs Ophelia Mensah Hayford and a Senior Assistant Clerk, Gifty Jiage-Gobah, in November 2023.

3News.com has sighted a copy.

Here are the recommendations and conclusion submitted by the Committee.

8.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

Flowing from the evidence adduced by the Committee, and having regard to the legal framework concerning incidents of this nature, the Committee recommends the following;

8.1 Persons brutalised by the Military in Ashaiman on 7th March, 2023, and who sustained various degrees of injury should be promptly and adequately compensated by the State. The compensation must be extended to cover those persons whose properties were destroyed in the course of the Military swoop.

8.2 The Committee abhors any form of torturous handling of civilians by the Military or any security services for that matter. The Committee calls upon the leadership of the Ghana Armed Forces to educate their personnel on the legal demands and consequences of such acts.

8.3 The Committee further recommends that the soldiers who indulged in the excesses associated with the operation should be identified and dealt with in accordance with section 32 of the GhanaArmed Forces Act, 1962 (Act 105), which stipulates that: “Eveny person in the Armed Forces, who behaves in a cruel or disgraceful manner shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to any less punishment provided by this Act.”

8.4 The Committee again recommends that the National Security Council ensures that there is collaboration and coordination among the security agencies in the country, particularly between the Armed Forces and the Police Service in the execution of their functions and duties. The Committee entreats the Security Services to follow their respective mandates as provided by law.

8.5 The Committee emphasized that the involvement of the military in internal security operations must be a last resort. The Police Service must in all instances be the lead agency in internal security operations. The effective coordination of intelligence must be promoted at the National Security Council level to prevent the reoccurrence of such excesses.

8.6 The Committee recommends that the Ghana Armed Forces work towards improving their relationship with the public to engender trust and confidence in the populace.

9.0 CONCLUSION

The Committee hereby recommends that the House adopts its report on the Military operation in Ashaiman that took place on Tuesday, 7th March 2023.