Archbishop Nicolas Duncan-Williams reportedly has six soldiers protecting him
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The National Democratic Congress, NDC, Member of Parliament for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim, has revealed that a private citizen and some top civil servants are enjoying military protection in the country.
His comment on Accra-based Okay FM on Monday, January 17, 2022; was on the raging issue of the withdrawal of soldiers deployed to Parliament as part of the security detail of Speaker Alban Bagbin.
According to the Banda MP who is also the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, the move by the government through the Ghana Armed Forces amounted to gagging dissenting views.
He cited a statement issued in defence of the withdrawal of the personnel by the Ministry of National Security before alleging that the sector Minister, Kan-Dapaah, had four soldiers guarding his residence.
“Is Archbishop Duncan Williams a Minister? He has six soldiers at his residence.” Asked by the show host about the source of his information, he responded: “Kwame, we are part of the arms of governance and we have information on wherever soldiers are deployed.”
Other officials he mentioned and the corresponding number of military deployments are as follows:
* Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission – 10 soldiers
* EC deputies – 5 soldiers each
* Kissi Agyebeng, Special Prosecutor – 11 soldiers
* 18 Supreme Court Justices – 4 soldiers each deployed to their residences
“So you are telling me that the Speaker of Parliament does not merit the security that the EC chair and deputies, Duncan-Williams and Supreme Court justices have? Because Kan-Dapaah has four (soldiers) the Speaker does not merit the same? Kwame, where are we going?” he quizzed.
“I am asking that the deployed soldiers be withdrawn from all these officials, the argument that Kan-Dapaah has six soldiers but Speaker doesn’t deserve four is my gripe,” he stressed.
“If Akufo-Addo and Bawumia travel, who is the acting president of the land? So when he assumes the role of acting president, he can be assigned soldiers who will be withdrawn thereafter, is that what they are telling us?
“When Bagbin is acting as the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, what courtesies can we extend to him?” he quizzed further before calling for the depoliticization of a sensitive issue like this.