Ejura Killings: We can't pamper like the police - Military justifies the use of force

• A Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces has justified the tough approach of the Military during the Ejura protest
• Appearing before the committee probing the shooting incident, he stated that the Military cannot use the same tactics as the Police
• He added that the Military cannot pamper protesters like the Police

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Lt. Col. Kwasi Ware Peprah, Commanding Officer of the 4th Infantry Battalion has justified the military's tough approach during the Ejura protest.

On Tuesday, June 29, 2021, security personnel shot and killed two people among some young people demonstrating as part of their quest to ask for answers following the death of activist, Ibrahim' Kaaka' Mohammed.

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Speaking before a committee probing the killings, Peprah spoke to why the tactics of soldiers are different compared to that of the Police.

"Our primary role in internal security operations is to help police or civil authorities maintain law and order. The other one is to restore law and order," said Lt. Col. Kwasi Ware Peprah when he took his turn before the committee on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.

"The restoration comes in when the police is overwhelmed. It means the police has pampered you, used the appropriate measures and you are still not listening. When the military comes in, force must be applied. We cannot adopt the same measure that the police adopted but we have to go a little further because that was used and you are still out of control."

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Peprah also added: "And if the civilians or the youth had run over or had their way out, that would have been the end. So at time, let's try and see some of these things before we draw our conclusion."

Skip to 1 hour 14 seconds to hear the Military justify the use of force in Ejura.

The committee was set up after President Akufo-Addo directed the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery to investigate the incident.

Dery, therefore, set up a three-member committee to probe the incident that caused the death of the two young men with many others injured.

The committee probing the incident is made up of George Kingsley Koomson, a Justice of the Court of Appeal as Chairman, Security Expert, Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso, and Juliet Amoah, Executive Director of Penplusbyte, a civil society organization.

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Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding for the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Brigadier General Joseph Aphour has revealed they were compelled to fire into the protesters during the Ejura disturbances after gunshots were fired from among the protesters.

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Source: YEN.com.gh