Heads must roll – Ibrahim Murtala demands dismissal of soldiers involved in Ashaiman brutality

Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, is calling for the head of all officers of the Ghana Armed Forces involved in the brutalization of some residents of Ashaiman on March 7, 2023.

Speaking on TV3 on Saturday, 11 March 2023, the lawmaker condemned the actions of the military officers, describing it as inhumane.

He demanded that unless the incident has the backing of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Force, heads must roll.

“If the president didn’t know about this action, heads must roll. Who sanctioned this action of the military?” Murtala Muhammed said on Key Points on TV3.

Speaking on the same show, private legal practitioner, Martin Kpebu demanded the immediate resignation of President Akufo-Addo and all persons connected to the incident.

“By now we should have been on the streets that the President should resign. What the Military did was not a swoop, it was a mob justice, it was vengeance, not a swoop. There must be reasonable suspicion before you swoop,” he added.

The March 7 military swoop

Dozens of military officers stormed Ashaiman in the operation that saw some soldiers entering the town in trucks, with an armoured car plus a helicopter hovering over the town.

The exercise is said to be in response to the gruesome murder of a young soldier, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, by some unidentified persons on Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Videos of the invasion shared across social media show various forms of assault being meted on residents by the rampaging officers who subjected some of the residents to severe beatings.

In a statement released in the early hours of March 8, the Ghana Armed Forces admitted authorizing the swoop which led to the arrest of 184 persons, as well as the seizure of suspected illegal drugs.

In the said statement, they also acknowledged excesses may have resulted in the swoop but failed to apologize for or commit to conduct a probe on same.

An initial 150 suspects were released on March 8 whiles #FixTheCountry movement convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor reported on March 9 that the remaining 34 have also been freed without charge.