Soldiers now private guards for pastors

As the various security agencies are taking steps to protect the nation from the external and internal aggression before and after the much awaited Supreme Court verdict, some Military men are also being deployed to guard Pastors and fuel filing stations.

Reliable information available to the Daily Heritage indicates that although some soldiers of the western Regional unit of the Ghana Armed Forces are complaining about inadequate “men on the ground” for national assignments, the unit commanders have been able to provide men to protect pastors and their home, fuel filing stations and heavy duty vehicle garages.

According to the source, some soldiers at the Second Infantry Battalion in Takoradi now have their night duty post at a filing station, the house of a man of God and heavy duty vehicle parking lot.

The soldiers, who have for some time now, been actively engaged in clamping down on illegal mining in the region with the support of other security operatives, now have additional responsibilities of protecting individuals and other work places.

But speaking in an interview with the Daily Heritage, Col. Mbawine Atintande, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces said the soldiers, as part of their jobs provide security for vital installations across the country.

According to him, there are filling stations with vital installation, hence such jobs were not the first of their kind nothing that “it will not stop now” because these and other things are what they are being paid to do.

Col. Atintande further indicated that they have enough soldiers all over the country to provide security, both night and day.

The PRO, however, explained that soldiers do not provide security for pastors because it is the job of the police service, but will only do such a job when the police service requests for further backup from them.

He said any soldier deployed to guard an installation or individual must obey such orders from their superiors because that is the job they have to do.