A Past President of the Ghana Bar Association, Sam Okudzeto has called on President Mills to as a matter of urgency constitute a commission to investigate the alleged brutalization of the Police by some military personnel, on Friday June 4.

A security Analyst, Emmanuel Sowatey has also condemned the Police and the Military’s own decision to deal with the matter using its mechanisms.

Mr. Sowatey in Wednesday, 8 June’s edition of the Daily Graphic, asked that a committee, made up of representatives from the Ghana Bar Association, CHRAJ including ex-police and military officers, be set up to investigate the issue and ensure that it does not recur.

But in an interview with Citi News Mr. Okudzeto, a legal practitioner, called on the President to step into the matter by setting up a commission and establish what necessitated the attacks on the over a dozen police officers, who were on duty at various points in the Kumasi metropolis.

According to Mr. Okudzeto, this is not the first time the military and the police have been engaged in such a scuffle. He added that the action of the security services spells worrying signs for the country.

“I will advise that if we actually got even a committee or a commission it would be better, because the important thing is the fact that, commissions are done by the president and has presidential authority and power to summon people to appear.

The matter is very serious; the two institutions are the foremost security agencies in the country.
Mr. Okudzeto said the authorities must ensure that there is harmonious co-existence between the two security agencies since it would be vital for the protection of the citizenry. He added that the President must give the commission the mandate and a time frame to submit its report for public consumption. “Peace and unity between these two agencies is vital for the protection of the citizenry. I believe what has happened now is a repeat because, it has happened before, and I think it is urgent that the President appoint a commission and give them a mandate and even a time frame…because we need to know the root of this problem, and why it continues to reoccur. If it is a question of lack of training or discipline or whatever, let us find out so we can solve it, otherwise I think it is very dangerous.

The Defense and Interior Ministers are scheduled to meet to find ways to resolve the fracas. But Mr Okudzeto said their meeting is not relevant and urged the authorities to ascertain the actual cause of the problem between the two security agencies.
“I don’t know what they are going to resolve, we need to find out what the problem is because there’s been too much white-washing in the country. When something happens, we just brush it under the carpet. The two of them can sit down and talk, but it is not going to solve the problem because we don’t know what the cause or causes are. That is why we need an external agent not the two of them, an external agent to do the enquiry” he noted.

Source: citifmonline.com/Ghana