The Minority caucus in parliament has condemned the destruction of heavy-duty vehicles and an excavator in the Kunbungu district by the military and demanded the immediate resignation of the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul for, according to the lawmakers, attempting to justify the burning of the trucks.
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.
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: “Indeed, it came to the attention of the Minority Caucus in parliament that on Saturday March 3, 2018, at about 11AM, a group of drivers, while winning sand at a place determined for them by the Northern Region Security Council, were pounced upon by a contingent of military personnel ostensibly to arrest them.
“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 .
“It is important to state that the state in all its constitution has a duty to protect lives and property of its citizens. The protection of property is more acute and demanding in the Northern Region, considering that the region is one of the poorest of the country.
“We are by this statement calling for a full-scale investigation into the operation and the circumstances leading to the assault on the persons who were in charge of the vehicles at the time, the burning down of those vehicles and equipment, and the alleged confiscation of monies belonging to those who were brutalised.”
The statement added: “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.
“We further call for compensation to be paid to those who have lost property and those who suffered personal injuries as a result of this illegal, unwarranted and uncalled for operation.”
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