National Security ministry refutes reports of military attack on Garu residents

The Ministry of National Security has debunked reports that soldiers were intentionally deployed to Garu, a town in the Upper East Region, to abuse its residents.

According to the ministry, soldiers were sent to the town to carry out a special operation but were met with hostilities from some irate youth of the community.

The operation, which was supposed to be carried out on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, met stiff opposition from the youth of Garu after they approached the security officers on a mission with AK 47 and rifle guns.

The National Security Ministry further explained through a press statement available to GhanaWeb that the youth of Garu launched an attack on some five

counter-terrorism intelligence officers by shooting at a black Toyota Land Cruiser the officers were in.

Despite attempts to introduce themselves as security persons with national security, the youth of Garu gave them no chance to do so, the statement explains.

The ministry also added that the intelligence officers were chased by the youth to the town's police station and continued with their attack.

"On Tuesday, October 24, 2023, an irate youth group armed with AK 47 rifles, machetes and other weapons besieged a team of five counter-terrorism intelligence officers deployed by the Ministry of National Security to Garu, in the Upper East Region, on a critical, special operation. Despite initial attempts to introduce themselves as National Security personnel, the irate youth group proceeded to attack the officers by firing multiple gunshots at a black Toyota Land Cruiser in which the officers were seated.

"Following an escalation of the attacks on their vehicle, the officers drove to seek refuge at the Garu Police Station. The irate youth, subsequently, pursued the officers, encircled the police station and fired multiple shots at same with the intention of killing the officers," the statement reads.

It is in this vein the ministry sent other officers to the town on Saturday, October 28 to seize all weapons from the youth of Garu as well as arrest the offenders.

"Further to the aforesaid development, the Ministry of National Security and the Ghana Armed Forces, on Saturday, October 28, 2023, conducted a joint operation in Garu to seize weapons used by the perpetrators of the attack on the National Security personnel. A number of the perpetrators have also been arrested," another portion of the statement adds.

There have been media reports about some members of the Ghana Armed Forces invading and brutalising some residents of the Garu community in the Upper East Region.

According to a mynewsgh.com report, the military attacked the community on Saturday morning and beat the residents for an offence most of them were not aware of.

Many residents have been left injured and traumatised after the officers subjected them to merciless beating and other forms of abuse.

Read the statement below:

BAJ/DAG

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