Armed ‘anti-sand winning’ operatives 'not soldiers' – GAF

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has disclosed that some alleged soldiers who were arrested in a military vehicle by the Police at Kasoa in the Central Region, “were not soldiers of GAF”.

A statement signed by GAF’s Director of Public Relations, Col Aggrey-Quashie on Friday, 12 March 2021 indicated: “Our preliminary investigation shows that the alleged suspects were not soldiers of GAF”, adding that: “However, one of the suspects, Isaac Appiah Kubi, a civilian driver of GAF took advantage of the military vehicle in his possession to assist his accomplices in the criminal act.

“The GAF views his action very reprehensible and will take steps to discipline him in line with our regulations”.

The statement further stated: “GAF wishes to once more caution all impersonators who use military accoutrement without authorisation that they would be severely dealt with by law when caught.

“We wish to also reassure the general public that GAF will assist the Civil Police in their investigations into this case and any member of staff being uniformed personnel or civilian employee found culpable would be dealt with according to our regulations, it added.

The Central regional police command arrested some four suspects at Ofaakor near Kasoa.

The suspects include a dismissed military officer and civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces.

According to the police, the Kasoa divisional police received a distress call at about 12.30 pm on Wednesday, 10 March 2021 about the suspects.

The calls said about five men aboard a military vehicle with registration number 46 GA, had “attacked sand-winning workers on a site and had robbed them of their mobile phones, various sums of money at gunpoint and have seized seven tipper truck keys in addition and sped off to the house of Nai Atopi at Atopi Hills,” a statement issued by the Police said.

It continued: “The police proceeded to the Nai Atopi palace and arrested suspects No. 197340 Corporal Kwame Ampaw, a dismissed military officer age 35, No. 018989.

The police retrieved eleven assorted mobile phones from the scene, including an ID card bearing the name Emmanuel Dugble, one pump action gun N0. MV O351885 and a cash sum of GHS1,511.00.