The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has defended the use of brute force by the police and military during a protest by youth in Ejura after the killing of an activist Ibrahim Kaaka.
Social activist was killed in cold blood on the morning of Saturday, July 28 by unknown assailants.
Following his death, youth in the town embarked on a demonstration and were met by shooting from the military who were sent to restore calm, killing two and wounding several others in the process.
Speaking on Kasapa FM’s Morning Show ‘Ghana Kasa’, Mr Osei Mensah admitted ordering the military into the town as the chairman of the regional security council.
“I did. Yes, I requested for their support as Chairman of the Regional Security Council.”
“I got Intel that after the burial of Kaaka, they were going to burn the police station including the two persons who were arrested. That won’t help us.”
When asked if Ejura is a place identified with lawlessness and chaos, he noted “I can say on authority that since 1992, 2020 was the first time we voted in Ejura without chaos and we didn’t use the police alone. We used the police and military.
“You can go into our archives and check. You can’t do the same thing every time and get different results. You can’t be effective in the area of security without being truthful. When the time comes for you to speak the truth, do so.”
He indicated “while they were chasing the water cannon, if the driver decided to go forward, you’d have seen the number of people who’d have been killed. I commend the driver who mustered the courage to reverse even when he was been chased because had he decided to go ahead, he’d have killed a lot of people.”
