The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, says that the consideration of a uniform for officers of the National Security may reduce attacks on them by civilians.
The military, over the weekend, assaulted residents of Garu-Tempane in retaliation for an alleged attack on some National Security operatives by a vigilante group in Garu.
The action by the officers has been condemned, with a call for an independent probe.
In an interview on Eyewitness News, the Bawku Central Legislator said that although the alleged action of the youth is unacceptable, the Ministry must devise certain protocols when deploying its officers to certain areas.
“We all know that there are security issues in Bawku, Garu, Pusiga, therefore, if any member of the security agencies is moving into that zone, there must be protocols, you should be in your uniform so that the civilians from afar will be able to identify you as a soldier, policeman, immigration man, fire officer. In this instance, they were not in uniforms, they were driving in a Landcruiser which was not numbered [registered].”
“They said they were on an operation and the people didn’t know which operation it was in Garu. You come and be in an obscure corner. The military as an institution has no basis for deciding to go and carry out a mass attack on the entire community because one, two or three of their own were attacked. They must understand that these people were not wearing military uniforms for the people to easily identify that these were soldiers for the people to go and attack them,” Mahama Ayariga told Umaru Sanda Amadu.
Reports indicate that some military personnel stormed Garu in a dawn raid and assaulted residents in the process.
The Ghana Armed Forces have justified the attacks, accusing irate youth in the area of initiating an attack on national security operatives, which led to the raid.
The National Security Ministry, in a statement, debunked the reports and explained that it was a joint operation to seize weapons used in the October 24 attack by a vigilante group in Garu.
A member of the Interior and Defense Committee of Parliament, Cletus Avoka, has hinted that the committee will ensure that the Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah, is summoned before Parliament to provide an account of the alleged brutality on some residents of Garu by personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces.
