Soldiers responsible for brutalising Garu residents must be held accountable – Mahama Ayariga

Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has added his voice to calls for a full scale investigation into the recent brutalisation of some residents of Garu in the Upper East Region by soldiers.

In a statement sighted by GhanaWeb, the MP condemned the action of the military describing it as barbaric and unacceptable.

“Let me add my voice to the series of condemnations of the military brutalities visited upon innocent youth and women in Garu. This is barbaric and unacceptable in today’s Ghana.

“I had received calls around 3am of the day of the incident reporting the presence of Ghana Armed Forces men in the Garu area beating anyone they came across. I desperately tried to reach the National Security Minister at that early hour. He apparently did not know anything about it as he reached out to me and reported that he was in Europe.

“Early in the morning I saw horrendous photos of the victims of the military brutalities. I extend my sympathies to all of them,” he stated.

Following a military operation in Garu on Saturday, October 28, 2023, residents of Garu reported suffering brutalities.

According to the residents, the assault was in retaliation to an attack on some National Security personnel by some youth of the town.

Mahama Ayariga in his statement has thus called for a full inquiry into the event to ascertain the facts behind it.

“I will join my fellow Members of Parliament from the Upper East Region to call for a full scale inquiry into what happened. I recall being involved in a discussion with the Minister for National Security a few days earlier about some national security operatives who had been stopped in Garu and handed over to the police. I saw media reports of alleged shooting of the vehicle used by the national security operatives by unknown persons in the Garu area.

“If the incident is a retaliation by the soldiers, this will be most unfortunate and unacceptable in today’s Ghana and he have to get to the bottom of the matter and hold the military personnel involved in this dastard act accountable,” his statement dated Monday October 30, 2023, noted.

Meanwhile, the National Security Ministry in a statement 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.

Read the MP's statement below:

Mahama Ayariga Condemns Military Brutalities in Garu

Monday 30th October 2023

Let me add my voice to the series of condemnations of the military brutalities visited upon innocent youth and women in Garu. This is barbaric and unacceptable in today’s Ghana.

I had received calls around 3am of the day of the incident reporting the presence of Ghana Armed Forces men in the Garu area beating anyone they came across. I desperately tried to reach the National Security Minister at that early hour. He apparently did not know anything about it as he reached out to me and reported that he was in Europe.

Early in the morning I saw horrendous photos of the victims of the military brutalities. I extend my sympathies to all of them.

I will join my fellow Members of Parliament from the Upper East Region to call for a full scale inquiry into what happened. I recall being involved in a discussion with the Minister for National Security a few days earlier about some national security operatives who had been stopped in Garu and handed over to the police. I saw media reports of alleged shooting of the vehicle used by the national security operatives by unknown persons in the Garu area.

If the incident is a retaliation by the soldiers, this will be most unfortunate and unacceptable in today’s Ghana and he have to get to the bottom of the matter and hold the military personnel involved in this dastard act accountable.

Mahama Ayariga MP

Bawku Central

GA/SARA