Coronavirus lockdown: Mahama condemns shooting of Ashaiman civilian by soldier

Former President John Dramani Mahama has condemned the shooting to death of a civilian at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region by a soldier who was enforcing lockdown directives.

While eyewitnesses say the soldier deliberate shot and killed the unarmed civilian, the Ghana Armed Forces, in a statement, claimed the man had attempted disarming the solider during a scuffle which caused the soldier’s rifled to “accidentally” go off.

The army claimed in its statement that the soldier was trying to arrest the civilian in connection with a narcotics offence.

The Member of Parliament for the Constituency, Mr Ernest Henry Norgbey, has, however, accused the military of trying to cover up the incident.

Adding his voice to the condemnation, Mr Mahama, in a write-up, said: “On Sunday, we also received the sad confirmation of the death of a young man at Ashaiman following a shooting incident involving a security officer.

“While we are not yet fully apprised of the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate death, I wish to express our deepest displeasure at the shooting of an unarmed civilian and call for a speedy investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting”.

So far, Ghana has recorded five deaths out of the 287 confirmed cased.

The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress described the jump two hundred fourteen to the current figure as “alarming”, adding: “While the GHS ascribes the sudden increase in numbers to enhanced surveillance and testing, it is a call to arms to redouble our efforts in battling this disease”.