Findings on Wa military brutality would be made public – Nitiwul

The Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, says the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament will make public, the findings of its inquest into the assault of some residents of Wa in the Upper West Region by a group of soldiers.

“When our findings are ready, we will make it public to the people and make all the measures that we are going to take public to the people of Ghana for them to know what happened.”

On Thursday, July 1, 2021, a video showing armed soldiers beating some residents of Wa on the street went viral.

Some eyewitnesses who spoke to Citi News said the soldiers claimed they were searching for their stolen mobile phone.

They recounted how the officers, who could not be immediately identified, stopped tricycles and brutalised residents, particularly young men.

A day after the incident, a team from the military, led by the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Thomas Oppong Peprah, visited the area.

The Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament was also instructed to go on a fact-finding mission to Wa over the incident and report to the house within four weeks.

Mr. Nitiwul said the Committee will “ensure that this [incident] never gets repeated”.

The incident added to a tumultuous week for the military after soldiers opened fire on protesters in Ejura last Tuesday and killed two while injuring four others.