A leaked document from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) which surfaced online on Saturday has directed the withdrawal of some 4 soldiers providing security at the office of Speaker Alban Bagbin as they were assigned there ‘without proper procedure’.
The officers namely WO1 Jafaru Bunwura, WOII Apugiba Awine David, S/Sgt Agbley Prosper and Sgt. Bonney Prince, have served Bagbin since he was elected as Speaker of Parliament in January 2021.
‘It is humbly requested that the personnel are withdrawn with effect from 14 January 2022 while efforts are made to regularise their attachment’, the January 11 letter signed by the Chief of Staff of GAF, Major General NP Andoh indicated.
Meanwhile, the office of the Speaker of Parliament have described the withdrawal of military men assigned to offer protection to Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin as a clear ‘attempt to strip him of security protection’.
State media, Daily Graphic have published a response from the Speaker’s Office stating he is unhappy about the latest development regarding his security.
A statement from Bagbin’s office stated that;
‘In a country that takes pride in its democratic institutions and processes, the decision to reduce the number of security personnel assigned to the Speaker detracts from the political gains that Ghana has made, and is a bad precedent’.
It added that ‘The unknown reason for such a move is puzzling, but the real motive should be obvious to all objective observers of the political scene in Ghana’.
‘If it is an attempt to gag the Speaker, this move will serve to only widen the gap between the legislature and the other arms of government. It also hints at the possibility of a plot to place the safety and security of the Speaker in harm’s way’.
SOURCE: Kasatintin.com
