A security analyst, Adib Saani, says the actions by the military and police during the Ejura youth protest on Tuesday was that of attempted murder.

He said the firing of live bullets was uncalled for as the officers could have used other means to stop the crowd.

“All they [the protesters] held were sticks, so it is really sad. This is obviously, attempted murder caught on tape,” he said on Joy Prime's Prime Morning.

Adib Saani, who was analysing the visuals captured during the protest with the host Daniel Dadzie on Wednesday, said the police should have taken charge of the situation.

“You only have the military step in to compliment them if they are overwhelmed, unfortunately by default, the police loses control over the situation."

The security analyst also noted that the military officer who was captured pointing his gun towards the crowd took “an offensive position”, adding that such a move was inappropriate.

“Because so far as I am concerned, there was no firing returned from the other side and for him to go into that position meant he was firing,” he said.

According to him, even if the officer had wanted to fire a warning shot, it was advisable to either fire into the sky or fire into the ground as a bullet travels at a certain velocity and decreases its effect.

"If it goes high up into the sky, at a point, it loses that velocity and falls back to the ground. At that point, it's only hot metal; it’s not newton, so even if it comes into contact with the skin, it only gives you some minor burns,” he told Daniel Dadzie.

Mr Saani said should the gun be pointed even at 30 decrees angle from the people, “what you are doing is targeting innocent people” who may have absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand.

He noted that the military presence at the scene could have dispersed the protesters, “you know Ghanaians and our attitude toward the military, once you see them, then they start dispersing.”

“Under no circumstance should anyone have been targeted with a live ammunition, considering what was happening [because] the other side wasn’t armed, and I don’t think their actions could kill an officer, so for them to use this force is completely out of proportion,” he stressed.

He, however, attributed the unfortunate incident to a lack of control or proper training on crowd management on the part of the officers.

“There are so many ways you can ward them off; this is not an option. I mean, there were water cannons there, you can fire to the ground, you can fire in the air, and once they hear you fire, they disperse,” Mr Saani added.

He maintained the use of live ammunition should have been the last resort; thus, “if you are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the protesters pose an immediate and a potential threat to the safety and security of the officers, then they would be forced to use that.”

“But it’s quite obvious that this is rather the first resort because we can see a water cannon there; why don’t they use it,” he quizzed.

He added that another option for the officers was the use of the rubber-coated bullet, but on this occasion, rather, “they were using live bullets against unarmed protesters.”

“So I think this was too hard-handed, and it rather adds fuel to the already existing resentment and frustration by a section of the population there.”

The protest occurred on the back of the death of an activist of the #FixTheCountry, Ibrahim Mohammed alias Kaaka.

Two persons, Abdul Nasir Yussif, age 25 and 26-year-old Murtala Mohammed in the process, lost their lives following the military shooting, while several others were left with some injuries.

Meanwhile, the police have assured in-depth investigation into the incident.