Residents in Wa have expressed satisfaction with the sanctions that have been imposed on some soldiers of the 10 Mechanized Battalion. The residents who spoke A1 Radio however mentioned that they are still expectant that other sanctions will be imposed after the Committee ends its investigation.
The punishment comes after scores of soldiers assaulted some residents in Wa on the 1st of July.
Information available indicates that all the military personnel at the barracks, who were on duty on July 1 with the exception of a Duty Officer, have been punished.
The Orderly has been demoted from Staff Sergeant to Corporal, the Guard Commander has been demoted from Corporal to Private while the Sentry has been demoted from Lance Corporal to Private. Meanwhile, the trial of the Duty Officer who is a Lieutenant will continue later. Some of the soldiers who were seen on the video assaulting residents have been handed a 30-day detention.
To this end, A1 Radio has been speaking to residents to find out their thoughts on the punitive measures taken against the culprits. One resident, Ephraim Siekanye said he was satisfied with the punishments. He said. “I think so far I am satisfied with the update. Being a military man and being demoted is not easy so I think it will be deterrent enough”.
Another resident, who is a journalist, Tinus Touzie said while he is satisfied with the punishment meted out, he was expectant that more punishments would follow. “I am saying I am satisfied but I am expectant. The issue with my satisfaction is that these are the military and for some reason, the integrity of the meeting is paramount. You cannot subject them to ridicule to some extent. For those who ask for their dismissal, these are people who have been trained, if they are dismissed, they can be a burden to society,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer of the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council, Cletus Awuni, explained that the punishments handed the solders so far are without prejudice of the findings of the reports of the 4-member Committee led by Colonel B. Z. Ayorrogo. He explained that this meant that the punishments could be increased depending on the outcome of the Committee’s Report. He called for calm and asked that residents patiently wait for the outcome of the investigations.
Meanwhile, Parliament has also tasked another committee to conduct an independent investigation to the matter.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz| Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smi
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