The leadership of Ghana Armed Forces has been advised by the Member of Parliament for the people of Kumbungu in the Northern Region, Hon. Ras Mubarak to appraise themselves with the relevant laws of the country before carrying out any operation, authorized by politicians.
The Kumbungu lawmaker’s advice is based on the action taken by military personnel to burn down some 14 tipper trucks and an excavator in his district following a crackdown on illegal sand winning along the White River at Nawuni near Kumbungu in the Northern Region.
Soldiers on Saturday, 3 March 2018 set ablaze the 14 trucks and an excavator in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region as part of efforts to protect the Dalun River which feeds into the White Volta, from sand winners.
The destruction of the heavy-duty vehicles followed several warnings by National Security officials to the sand winners to stop their destructive activity. The Dalun River is a critical source of water for the people of the Northern Region.
Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Hon. Ras Mubarak insisted that the military had no business burning down an excavator and 14 tipper trucks in their duty to clamping illegal sand winning in his Constituency.
“The military has no business burning down an excavator and 14 tipper trucks. The people have taken bank loans of about $300,000 dollars and within a month, their excavator is burnt down; they will go haywire”.
“ . . and you think we can fight armed robbery with this kind of behaviour? You think people won’t take the law into their own hands to do what they are doing [armed robbery] now when the state which is suppose to protect all of us in itself is committing an illegality?”
Even though the rage by the military follows an earlier warning by the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC), the Kumbungu lawmaker who described the incident as savagery, has urged the affected persons to go to court to seek for compensation as he intend to raise the issue in Parliament.
“It is the court that can find the guilt or otherwise of anybody; nobody should take the law into their own hands and that is why we have laws and it is only the court which can decide that”, he averred.
He feared had it not been the timely intervention of the chiefs and some politicians begging the youth, they would have retaliated against the action taken by the military.
“They are not stealing anybody’s money and this is how the state wants to treat them because somebody has the power and think they can show them where power lies? If these youth decide to retaliate, do you think we will have peace in the region and Northern Region Minister, you give such an order?”
He therefore advised the Ghana Armed Forces that “if any politician asks the military to carry out any operation, they should appraise themselves with the relevant laws of the country; in Ghana we work with laws. You can’t just go about and burn people’s properties; you can find the expression in no law of the country and so they should read and know what the laws are saying before they take any action”.
Defence Minister Must Resign
Meanwhile, the Minority caucus in Parliament has demanded the immediate resignation of the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul for, according to the lawmakers, attempting to justify the burning of the trucks.
The Minority in a statement signed by Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, MP for Tamale Central and Chairman of the NDC Northern Region Caucus in Parliament, said: “While not condoning any activity that adversely impacts the environment and compromises the ability of the Ghana Water Company to continue to deliver portable water to consumers within its catchment area, the Minority Caucus is at a loss, at the justification for adopting instant justice to deal with alleged perpetrators of illegal sand winning without recourse to the law courts. The threats to our natural resources is something that must be of concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians, but that obviously should not give anybody the impudence to act with impunity.
“We further demand the immediate resignation of the Minister of Defence, who has sought to justify the dastardly act of the military; the resignation of the Northern Regional Minister who we understand, as head of the Regional Security Council, gave orders for the perpetration of this heinous act; the resignation of the DCE for Kumbungu, who was aloof while these acts of violence were committed against his own people."
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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