Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has pledged that if he wins the 2024 elections, his administration will investigate the military brutality that occurred in Garu, Upper East Region, in 2023.
On the first day of his Upper East region tour, Mr. Mahama visited the constituencies of Bawku Central, Pusiga, Timpani, and Garu. His key messages included plans for a 24-hour economy, prioritizing peace in Bawku, and addressing other regional concerns.
During his visit to the Garu constituency, Mr. Mahama emphasized the NDC’s commitment to justice and accountability. The October 2023 incident resulted in the death of one person after soldiers responded violently to an attack on National Security operatives by a vigilante group.
Mr. Mahama assured that, if elected, he would ensure justice for the victims of the Garu incident. He presented a monetary donation to the widow of one of the victims.
“There was an incident where some of our people were brutalized and one was killed. He left a wife and children. This evening, I gave a small donation to be given to his wife to look after the children, but when we come into government, we will conduct an inquiry into it so that it doesn’t happen again,” he said.
“We must learn the lessons from what happened so that tomorrow it will not repeat itself. And so when we come, we will do an inquiry. The most important thing for us when we come into office is peace in Bawku,“ he added.
Additionally, Mr. Mahama proposed building dormitory blocks for senior high schools with large catchment areas to help students who struggle with daily commutes.
“Our policy is that for the community day schools that have a big catchment area where the students cannot commute daily, we will build dormitory blocks so that the students can stay in the school,” he said.
He also promised to complete the Eastern Corridor Road to improve access between the Northern and Southern parts of the country.
“If you have to go down south, it is the shortest and fastest way to go to Accra. So I can assure you that when we come, the Eastern Corridor will be one of our priorities. I know the economy is in a mess, but we are going to prioritize so that it is a project that we can achieve in the shortest possible time.”
At the palace of the chief of Pusiga, Mr. Mahama vowed to eliminate secret recruitment practices in state security agencies.
“In Ghana, we have one policeman to almost 1,000 people. So it means that there is space for us to recruit more police officers, and we’re not going to do secret recruitment like these people are doing. They don’t advertise, and before you know it, people are training. They pick their own favorites and are training them, and all the other youth don’t get the opportunity. This time, when we’re going to recruit, we will bring the recruiters here to your region. So you don’t have to travel to Accra or anywhere,” he said.