National Security refutes allegations of an invasion of Garu

The Ministry of National Security Sunday debunked reports that the Military has raided Garu in the Upper East Region, resulting in some residents sustaining various degrees of injuries with more than 50 hospitalised.

A statement issued by the Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said an irate youth group, armed with AK 47 rifles, machetes and other weapons, on Tuesday, October 24, attacked a team of five counter-terrorism intelligence officers on critical, special operations.

The officers, deployed by the Ministry of National Security, sought refuge at the Garu Police Station but the irate youth followed up and “fired multiple shots intending to kill the officers.”

The Ministry and the Ghana Armed Forces, on Saturday, October 28, conducted a joint operation in the town to seize the weapons used by the perpetrators of the attack.
That resulted in a number of them being arrested, the statement said.

The Ministry deemed the attack on the security personnel at the police station highly unacceptable.

It strongly condemned acts aimed at intimidating and harming officials of State Security and intelligence agencies, while impeding them from effectively executing their mandated to safeguard the peace and stability of Ghana.

“Whereas the Ministry of National Security works to promote active citizen participation in safeguarding the peace and stability of our dear nation, deliberate acts that seek to jeopardise the lives of personnel of State Security and Intelligence Agencies will not be countenanced,” it said.

It cautioned the public to act in consonance with the laws of Ghana to avoid any such operations.

Reports on social media on the morning of October 29 alleged that personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces had stormed Garu to avenge attacks on some national security operatives, where some residents were brutalised.