In our last two editions, we raised serious concerns about the way and manner the Military High Command deployed troops to Ashaiman, near Tema, in the Greater Accra Region, to attack innocent civilians in the name of looking for the killers of Trooper Imoro Sheriff of 154 Armoured Reece Regiment in Sunyani. We argued through this column that though the killing of the soldier was regrettable, the attack on the civilian population was not the best option.
We were equally not happy with the statement issued by the military, apparently justifying the attack on the civilian population. We again contended that since the internal security of this country is in the hands of the police, it was wrong for the military to have sent troops to molest the civilian population without recourse to the police. This, we insisted, was a complete breach of the Constitution.
In our view, the police should have been allowed to probe the issue, instead of the military taking the law into their own hands to descend on the people of Ashaiman. Regrettably, after informing the public that over a hundred suspects were arrested during the swoop, not a single person was handed over to the police. Unconfirmed reports say all those who were arrested have been set free.
Now, as we have published on our front page today, the police, whose duty it is to investigate the suspected murder, has made inroads by arresting six suspects connected to the crime. But despite all the nasty things that happened at Ashaiman, the military could not arrest a single member of the gang that killed their colleague soldier.
This simply tells a story that the military have not been trained to investigate crimes – which is the preserve of the police. This is the more reason why they (military) ought to have exercised restraint and allowed the police to investigate the crime. With the latest development, The Chronicle expects the Military High Command to issue a statement apologising to the people who were wrongly accused and brutalised at Ashaiman.
This is the only way to bring down the tension that is building in the town. The civilian-military relationship is very important in the work of the military. May God perish our thought, but should we, as a country, come under external attacks, the military would have to rely heavily on the civilian population for intelligence gathering.
Considering the population of Ghana, the military are a small number of people who cannot be everywhere to gather such information. This is another reason why the military should see civilians as their partners and not enemies who must be crushed. The Chronicle, as a newspaper has always supported the various security agencies, including the military, by way of giving them adequate publicity to aid their work.
We always do this, because we see them as partners who we must work together with to ensure peace in this country. This doesn’t, however, mean that when they indulge in excesses we should close our eyes and pretend not to have seen it. Professionals, including the journalists working at The Chronicle and the military personnel among others are prone to making mistakes.
However, what makes you a true professional is to accept your mistake and apologise. What happened at Ashaiman is certainly not professional conduct, and we expect our respected leaders of the military to accept this bare fact and accordingly apologise, as we have earlier indicated. We hope those who have ears at Burma Camp are listening to us.
