Prof. Kwadwo Apppagyei-Atua, an associate professor at the University of Ghana’s School of Law, has urged the police to look into the excesses that the military acknowledged during the raid on Ashaiman, which is close to Tema.
Following the March 7, 2023, murder of a young soldier, both the Defense Minister and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) acknowledged that they had approved the raid on Ashaiman.
The admission can be found in the report of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament.
Professor Apppagyei-Atua said that Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the IGP, has a part to play in the situation because the police looked into the young soldier’s death to find the cause of it. This was said in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Friday, January 26.
He did, however, anticipate that the police would denounce the military abuse, launch an inquiry, and make arrests.
“It is not too late for the police because this borders on criminality, so they can do their investigations, identify these culprits,” he said, adding that “The law should hold them responsible for the harm that they’ve caused to the residents of Ashaiman, the image of Ghana Army and the image of Ghana as a country.”
While the Army has a tribunal to hold the guilty parties accountable, Prof. Appiagyei-Atua pointed out that the police should be involved to guarantee impartiality and professionalism in the conclusions.
Additionally, he agreed that the Chief of the Ghana Army should be the first to be held accountable for the unauthorized detentions and military abuses.
He clarified that this was because it would be challenging to determine which specific offender was responsible for the directives given by the high command.
He did, however, emphasize that junior military troops who carried out the aforementioned atrocities on orders should also be held responsible. However, he emphasized that the command bears the primary responsibility and that they ought to get the worst penalty possible.
Prof. Appiagyei-Atua also praised the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament for their excellent efforts, which were documented in their report.
