Alfred Kwame Agbesi, the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for the Ashaiman Constituency has condemned the military swoop of March 7 on a part of the Ashaiman township.
Likening the swoop to a declaration of war on the people in the constituency, Agbesi said anyone interested in fighting a war should go to Ukraine because Ashaiman was not at war.
He pointed out how President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo referenced the Bible quotation ‘The Battle is the Lord’s’ whiles in opposition stressing that for the people of Ashaiman, they were God’s children and He was going to be their shield and armour.
“Akufo-Addo came to power with a mantra of the Battle is for the Lord. What has happened to us is a big blow to us. We are not disturbed. Ashaiman is not a battle ground, indeed, the battle ground is at Ukraine, anybody who wants to wage war should go to Ukraine,” he said at a press conference on March 9.
“If you come here to wage war on us with soldiers, armoured cars, helicopters, all that we will say is that the battle is for the Lord and I will give him Psalm 144: ‘We are protected, we are guided [and] we are going to be under the armpit of the Lord.
“Because he likes quoting the bible, because Ofori-Atta likes quoting the Bible I am also quoting the Bible to them that we are protected. This is not Ukraine. They should not dare because the Lord is our protector,” he stressed.
The March 7 military swoop
Dozens of military officers stormed Ashaiman in the operation that saw some soldiers entering the town in trucks, with an armoured car plus a helicopter hovering over the town.
The exercise is said to be in response to the gruesome murder of a young soldier, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, by some unidentified persons on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Videos of the invasion shared across social media show various forms of assault being meted on residents by the rampaging officers who subjected some of the residents to severe beatings.
In a statement released in the early hours of March 8, the Ghana Armed Forces admitted authorizing the swoop which led to the arrest of 184 persons, as well as the seizure of suspected illegal drugs.
In the said statement, they also acknowledged excesses may have resulted in the swoop but failed to apologize for or commit to conduct a probe on same.
An initial 150 suspects were released on March 8 whiles Fix The Country movement convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor reported on March 9 that the remaining 34 have also been freed without charge.
