Ghana Armed Forces Explains Ashaiman Military Brutality, Justifies Raid In Wrongly-Dated Statement

• The Armed Forces has released a statement to explain that the raid in Ashaiman on March 7, 2023, was sanctioned by the Military High Command
• The statement, mistakenly dated March 7, 2022, said killers of a young soldier in Ashaiman on March 4 were the target of the operation
• However, many people feel the statement, especially the error in the date, shows it was hurriedly put together amid the public backlash

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has released a statement to explain that the Military High Command authorised the raid in parts of the Ashaiman municipality to fish out the killers of a young soldier on March 4, 2023.

The statement, which has been trending for an error in the date, further explained that the "swoop" was not to avenge the death of the soldier.

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"The swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led operation conducted in suspected hideout of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area," the statement mistakenly dated March 7, 2022, said.

The statement signed by the Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces, Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quarshie, said it is regrettable that innocent civilians were caught up in the operation and "suffered some distress".

Ashaiman military brutality condemned

The raid in Ashaiman by heavily armed soldiers supported in the air and on the land by heavy military equipment gripped many Ghanaians.

Videos of the assault on civilians and people who said they know nothing about the death of the soldier inundated social media and got many condemning the move by the soldiers.

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A 22-year-old soldier Imoro Sheriff was allegedly stabbed-to-death by unknown assailants in an area in Ashaiman called Taifa.

But a total of 184 suspects were rounded up following the military operation.

Mistake in military statement trends

The error in the date has been trending, with many saying that the statement was hastily put together amid the public backlash.

@sabonzy said:

"The statement released by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is dated 7th March 2022. Did the incident happen last year."

@QuartengFred felt someone should file a class action suit against the military:

“Intelligence-led operation” can you imagine?? So can’t there be a class action suit by all innocent victims against the Ghana Armed Forces?? You use state resources to “terrorize” innocent people and you say it’s intelligence-led what?? #Ashaiman #soldiers."

@NBenyinCrentsil said:

"Ghana Armed Forces, your date year backdated."

Professor Kwasi Prempeh slams military

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a related story that Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh slammed the military for the raid in Ashaiman on Tuesday dawn over the death of a soldier.

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Prof H. Prempeh said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, that the assault is scary if it was sanctioned by the military high command but even scarier if it did not.

He said the right thing the military should have done was leave the investigation to find the killers of the young soldier to the police.

Source: YEN.com.gh