General News of Thursday, 17 May 2018
Source: citinewsroom.com
2018-05-17
Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament
The Speaker of Parliament has given the Minister of Defence and Interior four days to appear before the house over Wednesday’s altercation between the Military and the Police in Tamale.
The summons follows joint advocacy by the Minority and the Majority to get the Ministers in question to brief Parliament over the violence that injured eight police officers in Tamale.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu in raising the matter indicated that the clashes had many implications for the security of Tamale and the nation at large.
“I do want to indulge you, Mr Speaker, that there is some ongoing insecurity in Tamale and for that matter in Ghana arising from the insistent, violent attacks between members of the military, the armed forces and the Ghana Police Service. Security remains a primary and secondary need for the peace and stability of the country. We have concerns about those reprisals.
“Indeed Mr Speaker, a first of it happened on March 26 in Tamale around the Agric Development Bank road. Mr Speaker, I am inviting you, so the Minister for Defence and the Minister for Interior will be obliged to come before this house and assure the public that we are safe and secure and in particular the people of Tamale have no reason to live in fear and panic.”
In responding to Mr. Iddrisu’s request, Prof. Mike Oquaye issued a directive for the Ministers to appear next Tuesday, saying “The honourable Minister for Defence and Minister for Interior should appear before this honourable house next Tuesday and address the house on these developments and measures being taken to arrest and prevent same from ever occurring.”
Soldiers attack police, residents
On Wednesday some soldiers in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale went on rampage, assaulting police officers and some residents, following the arrest of their colleague.
Narrating the incident, a journalist with Diamond FM, Mohammed Ibn Arthur said the soldiers launched the attack in protest of their colleague who had been arrested for attacking a taxi driver.
Mr Arthur added that this about the third time such an incident had occurred in the area.
“This is about the third time this is happening just within a year. If you recollect, some three months ago, the Police arrested a military man who was misbehaving. They sent him to the cells, and the military did not take it lightly at all. They beat them up properly. The town was very quiet until we saw a statement from the Police indicating that calm had returned to the area, so I am not surprised this incident repeated itself.”
Similar incidents involving the military and police officers have been recorded in other regions.
In March 2018, a police officer with the Bolgatanga Special Weapons and Tactics Unit of the Ghana Police Service was assaulted by some uniformed men believed to be members of the military.
The Upper East Regional Police Command had explained that the attack occurred when some soldiers confronted the police officer, Asiamah Raymond, and ordered him to remove his military shorts.