THE Military High Command has rendered unreserved apology to those who were affected in last Thursday’s clash between 30 military men and some drivers at the Akyem Oda main lorry park.
It also assured the people that the command would hand down appropriate punishment to any military man who would be found guilty of breaching the law after the police investigations.
The Commandant of the Military Academy and Training Schools (MATS), Major General Amadu K. Abdulai, who rendered the apology, stated that “the command will not shield any of our men who will be found guilty of taking the laws of the land and of the military into their own hands”.
Major General Abdulai was speaking when the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, led a delegation to meet with the executive of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and the military command at Akyem Oda.
The delegation included the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Anko-Bill, the Akyem Oda Divisional Police Commander, ACP Ben Atadana, and the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Owusu-Boateng.
The commandant said the establishment of the military force was to protect the territorial integrity of and maintain peace in the country to enable the citizens to go about their normal activities.
He added that the country’s military force had played significant roles in the maintenance of peace in other countries on the African continent and had gained an international recognition as one of the best in the world.
“For this reason, it is absolutely wrong for any personnel of the military force to engage any civilian in a fight, since it is our responsibility to protect them and the nation,” he stated.
To this end, Major General Abdulai pleaded with the public not to take the law into their own hands to engage any military person in a fight, saying “You should rather report the misconduct of any soldier to the military command or the police for the necessary action to be taken against him.”
“If a soldier slaps you and you retaliate you have equally committed the same offence,” he said.
He appealed to the Eastern Regional Police Command to fully investigate what triggered the clash and identify the culprits for the necessary punishment to be meted out to them.
“We must also help to come out with long-term solutions to ensure peaceful co-existence and co-operation between the military and civilians in and around Achiase,” he stated.
The commandant expressed his displeasure at the manner in which the conflict was politicised, noting that “we must refrain from this unhealthy politicisation in the interest of the nation”.
Citing the massacre in Rwanda, the commandant stated that “if we succeed in destroying the military system by playing politics with it, [it is] the country that will suffer”.
“It is therefore in our own interest to help maintain peace and stability by co-operating with the military and other security agencies,” Major General Abdulai emphasised.
On his part, Mr Ampofo rendered an apology on behalf of the government to those who were affected in the incident.
He said “we must all forgive each other and let go of the past".
Mr Ampofo stated that driving was a noble profession and it behoved the executives of the transport unions to instil discipline in their members to prevent a recurrence of such a situation.
“We must therefore make every effort to live at peace with each other by being tolerant and co-operative for our own interest,” he added.
The Chairman of the Oda-Accra-Tema GPRTU, Mr Joseph Kwaku Owusu, expressed his satisfaction at the preparedness of the government, military and the police to carry out full investigations into the matter to ensure unity and peace in the area.
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