The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has said the recent deployment of officers across the country was to help security agencies secure the country’s borders and not to harass civilians.     

Brigadier General Abraham Yeboah Nsiah, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Southern Command, said contrary to speculations, soldiers deployed in border communities, particularly Wudoaba in the Ketu South Municipality executed their duties professionally.

In a press briefing when he led a delegation of the Armed Forces from Accra and the 66 Artillery Regiment, Ho, and heads of sister security agencies in the Municipality to visit officers deployed to the area.     

The delegation visited about five checkpoints, being jointly manned by soldiers, Immigration and Customs officers, and the Police to encourage them.     

Brigadier General Nsiah described as false media reports that GAF had withdrawn personnel from the area at the end of the voter registration exercise.   

This, he said, gave the impression that the military presence was to prevent people from participating in the voter registration exercise. He referred to a video in which some residents reportedly said the soldiers left the town after the voter registration exercise was completed.     

However, the GOC Southern Command said that was not the case because soldiers were not deployed in the area where the interview was granted.     

“We deployed soldiers to seal the border, not the towns. That town is about two kilometres away from the border itself so you don’t expect to see a soldier there in the middle of the town, where there’s no border crossing.

"So to hear that soldiers have withdrawn since the completion of the registration exercise is completely false,” he said. Brigadier General Nsiah said he was satisfied with the visit to the area and noted that the security forces would not be distracted by the negative comments. 

“We remain focused and committed to the security of this country,” he added.