Military Police investigates manhandling of fake soldier

The Military Police is investigating manhandling of a fake soldier who was arrested by some military personnel upon a tip-off at Nsawam in the Eastern Region

The video of the incident that has since gone viral on social media captures a 27-year-old man, identified as Essel Prince Ferguson, parading himself as a military officer being slapped by a military officer and a detective following his arrest. He has been doing so for close to 7 years at Ntoaso a community near Nsawam.

While some people have called for a swift action in dealing with the culprit, others have also condemned the maltreatment meted out to the fake military officer.

Addressing the issue, Brigadier General Daniel Mishio (retired) told 3FM Midday News that the action of the personnel captured in the video is unacceptable.

“The armed force does not condone what happened, we have military regulations and when somebody impersonates, it is actually a case that has to be handled by the police.”

He said the military has a code of conduct for all military personnel, and in a situation like what took place on Nsawam, the fake soldier was not supposed to have been manhandled.

“Even if a thief is caught by the military, we do not manhandle the person, because that will be termed military brutality,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the military high command which he said is very professional to ensure that the right thing is done in dealing with the issue.