Day 3 Of Lockdown Directive Beatings Galore! As Soldiers, Cops Descend On Civilians

Some civilians just three days into the partially lockdown in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi are already bearing the brunt of security brutality in their bid to clear the streets.

Social media has been awashed with videos of officers of the Police-Military joint team flogging people who have appeared on the streets for one reason or the other.

In one of the videos that has since gone viral, a young man was seen holding his ears squatting for allegedly returning from a visit to his girlfriend.

In another video, a visibly angry military man was captured questioning some girls who claimed the president’s directives exempted mobile money vendors for which they found themselves in the street going to work.

A third video of the many flooding social media also captures some military officers marching some civilians to a place under a big mango tree to be manhandled.

In that particular thirty seconds video, the security man speaking in twi ordered the three young boys to enter a wooden tomato carton amidst beatings.

The developments has revived huge public criticism making nonsense the promise by the Military High Command and the Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah that the enforcement of the lockdown was going to be met with human face.

No Way

Meanwhile, the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, says security officials who abuse citizens as part of efforts to enforce the restrictions imposed by the president, will be dealt with.

This follows complaints of pockets of physical abuse since the enforcement of the lockdown began on Monday.

The Minister says one of such cases has been referred to the Inspector-General of Police, for the appropriate sanctions.

“One video that came out that was real has been sent to the IGP and action is being taken,” he said.

Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Mr Dery also cautioned members of the public to desist from spreading fake news about supposed police and military officials involved in widespread brutalities.

“Several videos of things that happened years ago are on platforms, fake news, trying to create the impression that this humanitarian action by security agencies are meant to be draconian and that we are beating people to pulp. This is not the time for this sort of politics.”

Minority

The Minority has also condemned what it says is an inhumane treatment meted out to travellers who were arrested Monday in a cargo truck at Ejisu for breaching the imposed restriction.

Ranking Member on Parliament’s Communications Committee, A. B. A. Fuseini, says the arrested individuals are homeless people who had nowhere to go and should have been screened and allowed to travel from Accra to Tamale.

“The fact that the pandemic must be fought doesn’t mean that the people have no fundamental human rights and freedoms… The least they could have done was to accord them some modicum of decency and respect. They could have treated them like human beings and not cattle,” Mr Fuseini said.

He believes the situation would have been different if the NPP government’s promise to build hostels for head porters in the country, had seen the light of day.