General News of Thursday, 17 May 2018
Source: adomonline.com
2018-05-17
Dr. Bernard Oko Boye, MP for Ledzokuku
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ledzokuku, Dr. Bernard Oko Boye has expressed anger at attacks allegedly visited on some policemen and civilians by some military personnel in Tamale on Wednesday.
Reports indicate a soldier was allegedly picked by the police for beating his wife but managed to escape and mobilized his colleagues for a reprisal attack on any police officer in sight, resulting in a free-for-all-fight among the security professionals.
The occurrence has made the Ledzokuku MP angry as according to him, many other civilians have faced similar abuses from our security forces but have decided not to bring it to light.
“there are many citizens in this country who have been abused by either the army, the police, the immigration or somebody but nobody speaks for them; we either speak for them or on the day they will like to speak, it will be disastrous”, he fumed on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem Thursday.
According Dr Boye, his outburst stems from his personal abuse from a military man. “I am speaking like this because, me myself, I have had a soldier assault me before”, he narrated.
He cautioned the military men, saying their power does not come from their guns or uniforms but civilians, the reason their overall boss, the President, is a civilian.
“Your power is enshrined in the constitution that forms the army and that power can only be unleashed when a command comes from the top that is why their overall boss is not a soldier but a civilian”, he raged.
He traced the behaviour of some of these soldiers to the military regimes Ghana went through which made the soldier even more powerful than the judge.
According to the Ledzokuku MP, the only way to free them from such behaviour is to get a command that will speak against such unwarranted behaviour they have been exhibiting from the past.
“And the only way to free them from the past is to have the command that will come out and speak boldly about this uncivilised, unwarranted, unmilitary and unprofessional behaviour”, he added.
He is moreover calling on the military command to issue a statement within 48 hours to bring some relief to those affected.