Former President, John Dramani Mahama has condemned the military brutality visited on residents of parts of Ashaiman on Tuesday, March 7. 

Mr Mahama said the conduct of the military did not follow due process. 

Even though the former President said he is saddened by the murder of the young soldier, he insists the high-handed response by the military was unjustified. 

“I am deeply saddened by the death of one of our soldiers, at such a young age, in Ashaiman. 

“Lordina and I extend our deepest condolences to his bereaved and grieving family, and the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces,” Mr Mahama said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. 

The former Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces encouraged the military to refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice to residents of Ashaiman. 

“As your former Commander in Chief, I do appreciate how such unexpected deaths affect the Force. 

“However, I encourage you to exercise restraint and allow due process to investigate, apprehend, prosecute and punish the perpetrator(s) of the dastardly act. 

“There are obviously many people who live and work in Ashaiman who are innocent of this heinous crime. The military must, therefore, refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice to them,” he admonished.

A large number of uniformed soldiers invaded parts of Ashaiman on Tuesday dawn, following the murder of a young soldier, Imoro Sherrif, on Saturday dawn at Ashaiman-Taifa.

Footages shared on social media show armed military personnel brutalising residents.

However, the Ghana Armed Forces has said the operation was merely a swoop in a man-hunt for some criminals and not for vengeance.

According to GAF, “the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.”

They added that their “swoop” had led to the arrest of about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and they have since handed them over to the military police who will subsequently send them over to the Ghana Police Service for screening and further action.

Meanwhile, 150 out of the 184 individuals arrested by the military in a swoop have been released.