We’ll punish ‘unprofessional’ soldiers involved in Wa brutality – GAF

The Ghana Armed Force (GAF) says it will deal with officers seen in a viral video brutalizing some residents of Wa, the Upper West Regional capital, on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

GAF said the conduct of the soldiers were “unprofessional”, and personnel found culpable will be sanctioned.

In a press statement on Friday, July 2, 2021, GAF admitted that the “unprofessional conduct took place at a time the Commanding Officer of the soldiers and the Chairman of the Regional Security Council were out of town for an official engagement”.

“Internal disciplinary measures have been instituted to deal with all those who will be found culpable in this unprofessional conduct by the soldiers,” a statement issued by GAF Director of Public Relations Colonel Eric Aggrey Quarshie said.

The release added that the Chief of the Army Staff is leading a “high-powered military delegation” to Wa to engage traditional and opinion leaders to resolve the issue.

The delegation will also find means to assuage the anger of the Wa people.

The Wa brutality comes barely a week to the clash between the youth of Ejura and military officers.

The officers were deployed to disperse an angry youth protesting for the murder of social activist Ibrahim Mohammed.

The soldiers ended up killing two persons and several others injured.

About the incident 

In a viral video on social media on Thursday, July 1, 2021, some armed military officers were seen brutalizing some residents of Wa, the Upper West Regional capital, allegedly over a missing mobile phone.

The soldiers claimed they were searching for a stolen mobile phone, an eyewitness said.

The Public Relations Officer of the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, Cletus Awuni, was also beaten up by the officers after he captured the incident on video.

“They hit my head about three times and my back, and they also used a taser on my hands and my chest,” he lamented.

Several others sustained injuries as the soldiers unleashed their fury on any person they found on the streets.