One dead over assault by soldiers in Garu – MP
One of the over 50 victims of the recent military brutalities in Garu and Tempane in the Upper East Region on Sunday, October 29, 2023, has died.
Eight of the residents of Garu and Tempane, arrested by the military and transferred to Accra, have also been released, battling for their health.
It is alleged that the military attack was in retaliation for an attack on some National Security operatives by a vigilante group in Garu.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Garu, Albert Alalzuulga, announced the death of one of the victims and the release of the eight people arrested, adding that the military’s actions were unacceptable.
“It is sad to announce to you that one of the military brutality victims in Garu has died. It is a very sad development. The youth and everybody in the area are so saddened. We are so disappointed in the military and their actions. And we are disappointed in the government as well. What happened in Garu is most barbaric; it is most unfortunate. The residents who were arrested earlier were released on Friday. While some are home safely, others had to be taken to medical facilities due to their conditions, ” Mr. Alalzuulga noted in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Citi News.
“We are already calling on the government to compensate the victims, and if possible, we may have to take legal action. I don’t think that the treatment of the people of Garu was fair. I think the government needs to address this. The military is taking Ghanaians for granted. It is our tax that has bought the uniforms they are wearing. It is our tax that has bought the vehicles and guns” he added.
The angered youth of the two communities say the men who were arrested have no criminal record.
They threatened that public servants in the two communities would withdraw their services if their demands were not heeded.
The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency, Mahama Ayariga, has also condemned the attack by the military on residents of Garu and Bugri in the Upper East Region.
He described the soldiers’ actions as “barbaric and unacceptable” in the current democratic dispensation of the nation.
Meanwhile, the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, is expected to appear before Parliament on Thursday, November 9, to brief the House on the situation.