The Minister for Defense, Dominic Nitiwul has warned that the security agency will use every force legally open to them to prevent chaos, illegality and impunity in the country.

He said this in relation to the recent reported case in the Northern Region in which about fourteen (14) tipper trucks and other properties were allegedly burnt by the Military, in an action to stop illegal sand winning in the area which was said to be affecting the water bodies.

In reaction to a statement by the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak on the action of the military and also called for a probe into the action, the defense Minister indicated that, the Ghana Water Company complained to the security heads that sand winning activities in the area has affected their operations so much that, they have to shut down the treatment plant if it does not stop, due to the extreme pollution of the river bodies of the sand winning activities.

He indicated that, a visit to the area also confirmed the pollution of the water bodies for which the military had to be called in to save the situation.

He added that, the military did not go under cover, but in broad day light to send signals to those engaged in the activities and potential ones.

He said, Ghana has a choice to make whether to sit down and watch the Ghana Company shut down the treatment plant so that people of the North would be deprived of water to drink or support government to take drastic measures to prevent that.

In that regard, government had to order a backup of Operation Vanguard team which is made up of only military personnel to restore sanity in the area, and started operation on the 1st week of February, he said, adding that, the security heads did not make it public because they did not want to send wrong signals to the country as if a war of a sort had started in the North.

“The military is already involved in ensuring that water bodies and the general environment is preserved in six regions, namely the Western, Central, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the Northern Regions, and that, it was not out of place to allow the military to intervene, considering the gravity of the situation. The Defense Minister disclosed.

The military is the last line of defense, He noted, and that Ghanaians should not politicize its activities, since it would be chaotic for us as a people, adding that the military will continue to stay until the target is achieved.

Story by Frederick E. Aggrey

 

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