Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, says security officials who abuse citizens as part of efforts to enforce the restrictions imposed by the president, will be dealt with.

This follows complaints of pockets of physical abuse since the enforcement of the lockdown began on Monday.

The Minister says one of such cases has been referred to the Inspector-General of Police, for the appropriate sanctions.

“One video that came out that was real has been sent to the IGP and action is being taken,” he said.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Mr Dery also cautioned members of the public to desist from spreading fake news about supposed police and military officials involved in widespread brutalities.

“Several videos of things that happened years ago are on platforms, fake news, trying to create the impression that this humanitarian action by security agencies are meant to be draconian and that we are beating people to pulp. This is not the time for this sort of politics.”

Mr. Dery has also described as ignorant the Minority’s claim that the COVID-19 Support Fund established by the President is unnecessary.

Minority Spokesperson on Defence and Interior, James Agalga, says government should rather have activated the Disaster Fund under the NADMO Act instead of setting up a new fund.

But Mr. Derry says the NADMO Disaster Fund can only be activated in times of a State of Emergency.                                                                       

He further explained that: “What we are operating upon now is a law which we passed in Parliament under Article 21. Therefore, the Covid-19 fund is both legal and appropriate because, that other fund could only be activated if pursuant to Article 31, a State of Emergency had been declared.”

Meanwhile, the Minority has condemned what it says is an inhumane treatment meted out to travellers who were arrested Monday in a cargo truck at Ejisu for breaching the imposed restriction.

Ranking Member on Parliament's Communications Committee, A. B. A. Fuseini, says the arrested individuals are homeless people who had nowhere to go and should have been screened and allowed to travel from Accra to Tamale.

“The fact that the pandemic must be fought doesn’t mean that the people have no fundamental human rights and freedoms… The least they could have done was to accord them some modicum of decency and respect. They could have treated them like human beings and not cattle,” Mr Fuseini said.

He believes the situation would have been different if the NPP government’s promise to build hostels for head porters in the country, had seen the light of day.