…..GAF Cautious Soldiers
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is taking measures to prevent further attacks on its ‘officers in uniform’ by the public.
This, the Force said has become necessary following constant attacks on its soldiers by the public some of which lead to their death.
In a March 13, 2023 circular intercepted by this paper, GAF said it is concerned by the continuous attacks on soldiers while in military uniforms by civilians in town.
“Service Personnel should change into civil clothing when off duty before proceeding to town for personal purposes unless otherwise authorized to do so” the new directive read.
The statement issued by Lieutenant Colonel E. Ametame on behalf of the Chief of the Army Staff among others recalled the beating of WO1 Konor P by a group of young men in East Legon on 26th February 2023 and the stabbing of Imoro Sheriff at Ashaiman, a suburb of Accra as reasons for the new directives.
The Force said it is equally worried by the plethora of social media videos involving service officers engaged in open confrontation with civilians.
According to the statement, wearing military uniforms outside Barracks for personal purposes sometimes exposes personnel to unnecessary risks of attacks by criminals who may perceive them as threats.
As a result, the statement rolled out new measures to Commands and Brigades to reverse the worrying trend.
For now, service personnel who live outside would be discouraged from wearing uniforms from their private residence to the Barracks and must change into civil clothing before going home.
Again, Units under the new measures are to keep a detailed database of personnel living outside the Barracks including locations, phone numbers and contact persons in case of an emergency.
All personnel have been advised to keep contact numbers of duty officers of their respective units on their phones for easy access.
Troops are also to avoid crime-prone areas as well as stop carrying and displaying flashy items in town to avoid attracting unnecessary attention to themselves.
In the view of the statement, personnel should be advised against travelling on board public transport in military uniforms as well as advised against driving their private vehicles to town in military uniforms at night.
Lieutenant Colonel E. Ametame also cautioned the military against undertaking unauthorized operations.
