Lockdown: Stay home and make our work easy - Soldier begs

At a time when security personnel are alleged to be brutalizing persons disobeying government’s lockdown directive, one military officer has been caught on camera advising Ghanaians to stay home to be safe.

The officer who was speaking to passengers onboard a trotro (commercial bus), urged them to endure whatever hardships the lockdown comes with at home instead of risking their lives by going out.

“Go through the hardships at home, it is better than you leaving this world. Your maker up there has a purpose for you so please stay home,” he said in the video shared by christian_vibes_gh on Instagram.

The officer who pleaded with the passengers to make their work easy, further noted that they would have loved to stay home with their families at this time but can’t do that because they owe it a duty to the country to be out there.

“We all have our families we will have been happy staying with our families back home, but we are out here working for God and country and for you so please stay home. Don’t make it difficult for us.”

Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi are currently on a two-week partial lockdown after they were identified to be the epicentres of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The only time citizens who are not essential service providers are allowed to go out of their homes is when they need to get food, money or medication but that has not been the case during the first three days of the exercise. Many people have been reported to be roaming around in town without appropriate reasons.

There have been several videos claiming that security personnel are maltreating civilians who are found in town but the Ghana Armed Forces have stated that only one of the said videos is truly soldiers of the operation.

The officers involved have since been withdrawn from the Operation Covid Safety.

Before this, Operation Covid Safety assured Ghanaians that it is a humanitarian operation therefore the security personnel will not intimidate anyone. However, the content in the videos appears to be contrary to the assurances given by the Military and Police high command.