Military lock up 3 soldiers for allegedly assaulting boy

The Northern Regional Command of the Airbone Force has handed over three of the five soldiers who brutally assaulted a 16-year old boy, Christopher Bama, in Tamale, to the Northern Regional Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for a thorough investigation into the matter.

This follows a letter dated 6thApril, 2016, and signed by the Northern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ken Yeboah, requesting the Force’s Command to release the suspects for the commencement of Police Investigations into the matter.

The Commanding Officer (CO) of the Tamale Airborne Force, Lt. Col. Joseph Malik Punamane told the Chronicle newspaper that his outfit was more than willing to help with investigations into the assault case.

According to him, the Armed Forces did not and would not ever condone any misconduct involving any of the officers but would allow the law to take its cause.

He told the newspaper that even though he was not justifying that the boy was right to steal the mobile phone, it was unacceptable for the soldiers to take the law into their own hands.

The three Corporal Sampson Atuahene (owner of the mobile phone), Collins Agyei Boamah (his accomplice) and another (name withheld) are currently languishing in the Millitary Guard Room, after they were granted bail.

“Apart from what the police are doing to ensure fairness and justice, we as Military Command also have our own internal mechanisms to deal with people who offend the law. So it is not like we are not doing anything about the case. Drastic measures are being taken against them,” he explained.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of 6 Garrison, Flying Officer Elizabeth Salifu hinted that all of the medical bills of Bama was being borne by Corporal Sampson Atuahene, and that he (Corporal Atuahene) has already spent over GHC2, 300 on the medical expenses.