Physical Training Instructor Twumasi Barimah, popularly known as the Commander General of the Ghana Armed Forces, has asked whether Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George will retract and apologise for his criticism of the military operation in his constituency if it turns out to have been ordered by a higher authority.

Speaking on the matter, Barimah said the minister went public before establishing who gave the instruction, and even named a lieutenant and his service number in the process.

“What about if later you go and find out that the operation was an order from above? Will you come and retract that statement? Honourable, let’s be patient in some of these things,” he said.

The Commander General said the minister should have done his homework first.

“I think you have to make an investigation about the operation before you come out. You should have waited. You don’t publicly call the name of the person and the service number of the person, call him a mere lieutenant and tell him he is a disgrace.”

'One day, you will find yourself in somebody's left' - Military officer warns Sam George

Barimah argued that an officer’s actions on the ground cannot be judged in isolation.

“You don’t understand how the military operates. Once you said your friend and your colleague is the Minister of Defence, you should have taken your time. You should have come down and found out,” he indicated.

Pointing out that the person who appointed Mr George, the President, is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, the instructor said the minister’s action was unfair.

“So, the Commander-in-Chief is your boss, and you are calling his lieutenant a mere lieutenant, telling him he is a disgrace to the armed forces. That is below the belt, George.”

He further noted that Sam George’s words carry particular weight in his constituency, so he should have been careful with his utterances.

“You have the youth under you. Whatever you are saying can bring instigation against any other operation. The military will come there, and the youth would take advantage of what you said and want to rise or demonstrate. And the military never wants to lose,” he stated.

He asked the minister to take the matter up properly and return with a corrected position.

“Come back, Honourable, and make a good statement about what you said. Later, make your investigation about the lieutenant and see if the operation was an order from above or his personal decision, before you come out,” he said.

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Samuel Nartey George lost his cool at a military officer identified as Lieutenant Albert Goh over allegations that the officer had been terrorising residents of the Ningo-Prampram Constituency.

According to Sam George, the officer allegedly stormed the constituency with heavily armed soldiers and seized a number of trucks without any lawful order.

He described the conduct of the soldiers, allegedly acting under the lieutenant's instructions, as akin to armed robbery.

Sam George warned that any soldier who returned to Ningo-Prampram to brutalise residents would face the consequences.

He also described Lieutenant Goh as a disgrace to the Ghana Armed Forces and called on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to take disciplinary action against him.

"Any soldier who comes to Ningo-Prampram to brutalise the people of Ningo-Prampram again, you will face the law of the streets. The streets. Because it means you have breached your oath as a soldier.

"And I'm saying that Lieutenant Albert Goh, you are a disgrace to the uniform that you wear. And I expect the Chief of Defence Staff, the CDS to dismiss you from the Armed Forces for bringing disgrace to the Army. What you did yesterday was akin to armed robbery," he said.

The minister further disclosed that he would take up the matter with the Minister of Defence to ensure that the soldiers involved were held accountable for their actions.

"Picking weapons from the Ghana Armed Forces armory, coming here, seizing the tracks of citizens without any lawful order, driving that track for two weeks, somebody's property. You are a thief."

He maintained that the people of Ningo-Prampram deserved justice, adding that the matter would be pursued through the appropriate military disciplinary channels.

"And I'm going to have a conversation with my colleague, the Minister of Defence, to make sure that he insists that the Army disciplines you, Albert Goh.

"They stopped you and asked you to come but you disrespected an officer. The police commander here was a Chief Superintendent. A Chief Superintendent talks to you and you disrespect him and get your men to cock their weapons at him.

"Who are you? Is that what you were trained to do in the Ghana Armed Forces? As an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces? They celebrate the Ghana Army, so we will get to the bottom of it. We have the names of every single one of them, and we will demand justice within the military system for the actions of those officers," he added.

Military officer blasts Sam George over confrontation with military officer



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