Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul has said the military leadership did nothing wrong in withdrawing the military detail of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.
Since the withdrawal, some have accused the governing New Patriotic Party of being selective, since the former Speaker, Prof. Mike Oquaye also enjoyed protection from the military.
But answering an urgent question in Parliament, Dominic Nitiwul said the military’s action was right.
“I support the withdrawal of military protection for the Speaker. It was duly communicated to the Office of the Speaker, and as I said, once his security is assessed and there is a need for us to make sure that it is done, we will not hesitate.”
The Chief of Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces in January 2022 wrote to Parliament, saying four military officers attached to the office of the Speaker of Parliament were without proper procedure.
The officers, WO1 Jafaru Bunwura, WOII Apugiba Awine David, S/Sgt Agbley Prosper and Sgt. Bonney Prince, have been serving Bagbin’s office since he became Speaker in January 2021.
The Majority at the time rubbished claims that the withdrawal of the military personnel was an attempt to gag Mr. Bagbin.