Mahama lynching: Soldiers want strong response

The Chief of Defense Staff, Lieutenant General Obed Akwa had a tough job controlling the anger of personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces at a durbar held at the Burma Camp to brief soldiers on investigations so far into the murder of their colleague, Captain Adam Mahama.

The Soldiers want a strong response from the Army in the gruesome murder of Captain Adam Mahama.

They’re dissatisfied with the level of response from the Military High Command after the lynching of their own demanding a stronger response from the Army on the alleged attackers.

In an interaction with the Army at the said meeting held at Burma Camp at the behest of the CDS Thursday, it was a frenzy atmosphere and a general mood of anger as the Soldiers called for the latest incident on instant justice to be used as a deterrent to end such heinous crime in the country.

“Once we are the last resort in this country, if we allow ourselves to be beaten this way, something might happen. I’m suggesting, I don’t know that of Muslims but for Christians I know and with what Jesus said in Matthew 26:52 [He who draws the sword must die by the sword], one Soldier lamented.

Others also want the Military Police to take over the case on account of what they say is the slow pace of investigations being conducted into the matter by the Police.

The Soldiers also called for a total boycott and discontinuation of all Forestry duties and anti-galamsey operations currently being run by the army in parts of the country.

But the Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Obed Akwa in reference to a statement made by ex-President JJ Rawlings called for cool heads to prevail and admonished the Soldiers not to depend on reprisal attacks to demand justice for their colleague.

“I want to refer you to some of the statements or the responses by our former President and the sitting President, particularly what President Rawlings said, that eventhough this is a cruel act, he said cool heads must prevail. Now a statement like this coming from a former member of the Ghana Armed Forces, a Former Head of State, a Former Commander-in-Chief needs to be examined and listened to very carefully, because he has the experience, stature, and he is passing that experience and stature to us that let cool heads prevail.

“Additionally our Commander-in-Chief has assured us that Nobody is going to go scot free in this particularly incident. We are collaborating with all relevant security agencies and we are making steady progress.”