Wednesday, 19th March, 2025
Hon Ayariga Mahama
Bawku Central
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I make this Statement based on consultations that I have had with you and under the relevant Standing Orders that permit me to make a Statement on a matter of urgent public importance relating to my constituents.
Mr Speaker, two days ago, an unknown gunman shot and killed a soldier who was not in uniform, and yesterday in the evening, the military detachment in Bawku and its environs— There is also a detachment in Binduri— Undertook an exercise of ransacking almost every house that they came across, beating up everybody: men, women, children, old men and old women who could not flee, injuring some, destroying the properties of others, smashing television sets, fridges and everything that came their way.
Mr Speaker, I made several calls, and tried to urge them to stop; they did not, and this morning they continued. As we speak, the military, the soldiers are still carrying on the operation of beating up everybody that they come across in the town.
Mr Speaker, let me express my most sincere condolences to the family of the soldier who was killed. I would never condone the killing of anyone, especially a soldier who has left his family and has come to help us establish law and order in the Bawku area. So, I express my sincere condolences to the family and I have urged the law enforcement agencies, the military, and the police to work with the community leaders to try and investigate and identify the person behind this unwarranted gruesome exercise of killing a soldier who has come to help us maintain peace in the place.
Mr Speaker, it is equally not right for the soldiers since last night to invade homes, meeting places, market, where market women are going about their daily chores and beating up everybody, assaulting, and injuring women, old men, and children. Anybody who has not run away and is still in the town is being beaten up by the soldiers.
Mr Speaker, I condemn in no uncertain terms, the conduct of the military detachment there. I want to bring the full weight of this House behind a plea to them to stop what they are doing immediately and withdraw back into their barracks. Because beating up everybody in the town, destroying television sets and fridges, destroying bicycles and cooking implements and, et cetera, would not bring back to life, the young man that we have unfortunately lost. But then, it would dent the image of the military as an organisation that is supposed to be used to protect citizens. It is not their duty to be the source of assaulting, beating, and maiming innocent citizens.
Obviously, the person who perpetrated that act would not be anywhere near for the military to be able to beat or, assault or do whatever they want to do to that person. All those who are being beaten are innocent citizens going about their normal daily chores.
I condemn the conduct of the military and I urge the Military High Command to rein in their men and officers to stop the brutality that is currently ongoing in the Bawku township. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Laadi Ayii Ayamba
Pusiga
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to add my voice to the Statement ably made by the Leader of the House and then Member of Parliament for Bawku Central.
Mr Speaker, on the evening of yesterday, I was on my way when I got a message at about 8 p.m. on the brutalities that were being meted out to some people in a community about five to six kilometres from my Constituency.
Mr Speaker, I tried as much as I could to talk to somebody but there was no way out. Eventually, some pictures were sent to me. But well, I knew it would end at some point. This morning, the beatings and maltreatment continued.
Mr Speaker, on the evening of yesterday, as I was saying, they went almost into the Pusiga district capital, went even into a house, beat an old man and broke his leg. Some of these things, much as we empathise with the army— And let me say my condolences to the bereaved family—It does not warrant these things that are being done by the rest of the army who may be fighting for justice or for some kind of empathy for their colleague who has passed. We need to know that at least if for anything at all, there are so many ways by which we can get the perpetrators if possible. But going into people’s houses, removing them from their bedrooms, and beating them, even the elderly and women, is not fair at all.
Mr Speaker, as I stand here right now, I have just received a whole lot of pictures and currently, they are in the market where women are selling and buying, beating anybody who comes to sight. I want to add my voice to my Colleague, pleading with them that much as we are not happy, and we do not condone the killing of the army officer, we are also so unhappy about what is happening. Imagine the poor woman in the market without even knowledge—
Some of them have even come to the market without knowing that something had happened. The military went to them and brutalised them. Everybody is running around. So, I want to add my voice that we are pleading with them to stop what they are doing and let us see how best we can solve the problem rather than continuing in that manner.
I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Issifu Mahmoud
Binduri
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the happenings of Bawku and its environs.
Mr Speaker, before I proceed, I want to, first and foremost, add my condolences to the slain military officer who was on peace keeping duty in the Bawku Municipality. The happenings, as the Leader of the House rightly put before this august House, are not just restricted to his Constituency as we speak. My phone gallery is also flooded with pictures of my constituents, that is the people of Binduri, who are also receiving such brutality from the military as we speak. So, it is a good cause, and a call at the right time on the Leadership of this House to do, as much as possible, to call on the Minister for Defence, the leadership of the Military and Ministry of the Interior to call on the military to stop this brutality, so that our people will be given a relief.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for this opportunity.
Hon Thomas Winsum Anabah
Garu
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to add my voice to the call made by the Majority Leader regarding the brutalities that took place in Bawku yesterday and today.
Mr Speaker, this call is really needed because it is becoming one too many about brutalities the military is meting out to people who are very innocent. In as much as we sympathise with the family of the deceased military officer, the military should also be cautious because, just about one and half year ago, same brutalities happened in Garu where we lost a young man who was very innocent and was not even at the scene when the issues happened. He has left two little babies with the wife, and they are struggling to fend for themselves.
The leg of an old man was broken, and up till now, we are still managing the old man. I think the military personnel were trained really to neutralise, and anytime anything happens, they try to pay back. But they have a lot of questions to answer when it comes to how this military officer died, which I am not going to dwell so much on, because for one to go and stay in a danger zone or a no-man zone and not be in uniform or military vehicle, he or she stands a risk
Mr Speaker, the issue is that you go to one area, and a military man is killed there, then you move 20 or 30 km away from that place to go and brutalise people. That is what we are looking at. If the revenge was done at the area that the killing was done, one would understand that, yes, they are trying to pay back even though they are not right to pay back. But to take it outside where it happened to be attacking people—Even in Garu which is very far from Bawku, but people have been attacked; so, we are trying to appeal to the Military High Command to call the attention of his officers to desist from what they are doing. They are abusing their rights.
Thank you.
Hon Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu
Madina
Mr Speaker, I am very grateful for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Statement ably made by the Leader of the House.
Mr Speaker, it is important that we remind the Ghana Armed Forces, particularly the military, that they are not at war with citizens of Ghana, and they must also understand that the reason the military is called a discipline is because their work require certain level of integrity and caution. It is completely wrong, unconstitutional and absurd for the military to turn their strength on ordinary citizens, particularly those who have nothing to do with the alleged violence against a military officer.
Mr Speaker, I believe this is becoming one too many, and if this House does not do anything about it, it would continue. You would recall, sometime last year, what happened in Ashaiman. We are not saying that if somebody violates a military officer, it is not an offence; it is an offence under our laws, and one knows what to do by reporting to the police for investigations to be done, and people who did that are brought to book. But if they are going to take the law into their own hands and subject innocent citizens to this level of abuse, I think that it violates not only the Constitution of Ghana and the rights guaranteed under Article 12 of the 1992 Constitution, but it also violates international regulations that the Military is signatory to.
Mr Speaker, so, it is very important that we call on the Military High Command to take actions on officers who are involved. I believe that the reasons it would recur is because, anytime it happens, we talk about it and the people who are involved are not punished or subjected to any form of disciplinary action. I think on this occasion, the identified military officers who went on rampage violating innocent citizens must be brought to book; that way, it would not recur.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this statement.
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