Ernest Henry Norgbey, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman, has expressed approval of the report by Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Interior on the violence inflicted on his constituents by the military in March 2023.
The Committee on Defence and Interior, in a report released on Friday, January 26, recommended compensation for Ashaiman residents who were brutalized by the military in March 2023, among other things.
The committee also suggested sanctions for the military personnel involved in the dawn raid.
The violent incident occurred on March 7, 2023, after a soldier died in the area. The assault on civilians in Ashaiman triggered widespread outrage and condemnation.
Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Friday, the Ashaiman MP expressed his satisfaction and commended Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Interior, of which he is a member, for the extensive work it had done.
“I am very much satisfied with the recommendations of the report. The committee did a yeoman’s job. We had to spend a lot of time in Ashaiman, going to Ashaiman to investigate the matter. First-hand information, bringing on board all the actors in the matter, listening to every party. So we have done a yeoman’s job. I should say that I am so much satisfied with the recommendations of the report, be as it may,” he stated.
However, he said the report was yet to be debated in Parliament but was hopeful that the speaker would direct such to be done when the house resumes on February 6.
“The point is that the report is yet to be taken on the floor of the house. Though it was laid on the house, we have not debated it yet. So whether the house will admit it or not is yet to happen when we resume sitting on February 6th because we had finished our work almost three months ago or more than three months and the report was laid on the floor but had been in and out of the order paper and the business statement.”
“But I am hoping and praying that when we resume on the 6th of February, the speaker will direct that the report be taken,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the committee also urged the Ghana Armed Forces leadership to educate personnel on “the legal demands and consequences of such acts.”
It also recommended that greater collaboration be encouraged among the various security services and that internal security investigations must be the preserve of the Ghana Police Service.
“The Committee again recommends that the National Security Council ensures that there is collaboration and coordination among the security agencies in the country, particularly between the Armed Forces and the Police Service in the execution of their functions and duties. The Committee entreats the Security Services to follow their respective mandates as provided by law.”
“The Committee emphasized that the involvement of the military in internal security operations must be a last resort. The Police Service must in all instances be the lead agency in internal security operations. The effective coordination of intelligence must be promoted at the National Security Council level to prevent the reoccurrence of such excesses.”
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