CDS warns against attacks on military

The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Obed Akwa, has warned that the military will not tolerate any attack on the members of Operation Cowleg in Agogo and its environs in the Ashanti Region.

He said any such attack would be deemed as an attack on the state of Ghana and in defiance of the authority of the state, adding that “such attacks cannot go without a response”.

 “Our response will be proportionate and graduated, and depending on the attack, we will up our game,” he said.

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The CDS was addressing the chiefs and the people of the Agogo Traditional Area as part of a fact-finding mission at Agogo on Tuesday.

 Lt Gen. Akwa described the attack on some security personnel by some unknown assailants a week ago as dastardly acts, for which reason, he said, the police and the military had decided to send in reinforcement “to send a clear message that the assailants can’t continue to act with impunity in state of Ghana”.

Last week, three military men and a policeman belonging to Operation Cowleg were shot and wounded by some unknown assailants while on their normal duties at Agogo.

Law and order

The CDS, who led heavily armed security personnel to Agogo, reassured the traditional authority of the resolve of the security personnel to maintain law and order and ensure that the area was rid of the menace of nomadic herdsmen.

“We shall be unrelenting in this assignment until we bring it to a closure,” he said, adding that the troops were in the area for a specific job — to ensure that the area was rid of the nomadic herdsmen menace.

Lt Gen. Akwa said the main mission of the security personnel in the area was to restore law and order and a peaceful environment, adding: “We are here to ensure that everyone can go about his or her normal duties without fear. We shall see to the end of this menace.”

He urged residents of the area to abide by the laws of the land because “if you are a citizen or an expatriate, you must abide by the laws of the country”.

Farming

According to him, Agogo was  predominantly a farming area and the people depended mainly on farming for their livelihoods, saying: “If you rear cattle and depend on cattle for your livelihood, you cannot use the animals to destroy somebody’s farm.”

“It is untenable, inexcusable, and when that happens, we members of the security agencies will come in and restore law and order,” he stated.

Gratitude

He was grateful to the traditional authorities, the district assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area for the support extended to the security personnel deployed to the area.

He particularly singled out the musician, Amakye Dede, an indigene of Agogo, for putting his hotel at the disposal of the security personnel.

Queenmother

The Queenmother of the Agogo Traditional Area, Nana Juaben Serwaa Afrakomah Kusi, also expressed her gratitude to the military and the police for deploying their men to ensure peace in the area.

She asked that the security personnel should concentrate on the job at hand and not follow money at the expense of the job.

According to her, previous police commanders had compromised their positions for money and appealed to the Police Service to investigate those commanders and their actions and those found to have reneged on their duties dealt with to serve as a deterrent to others.

She said the traditional council was ready to support the security personnel to succeed in their mission.