The Ghana Armed Forces has stated that the March 7, 2023 swoop at Ashaiman was not to avenge the killing of the late Sherrif Imoro who was killed in a part of the township but rather to fish out perpetrators of the murder.
A press statement dated March 7, 2023, confirmed that the operation was authorized and that it was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the Ashaiman.
“Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Tuesday 7 March 2023, conducted a swoop in Ashaiman and its environs in a man-hunt for some criminals, who are suspected to have stabbed and killed a young soldier (Trooper Imoro Sherrif) in the early hours of Saturday 4 March 2023, at Ashaiman-Taifa.
“Trooper Sherrif, who is stationed in Sunyani, was in Accra on a Course and had sought permission to visit his parents at Ashaiman where he grew up, but was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman.
“GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
The statement added that: “Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action.
“During the swoop, the personnel seized 9 and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of narcotics,” it added.
The Armed Forces further asked the populace to provide the security services with sufficient information to aid them in eliminating criminals from the society.
“GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to curb criminal activities,” the statement added.
Read the full statement below: