"Man in military uniform linked to Ablekuma Central election death not identified" – Interior Minister

The Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has disclosed that the soldier reported to have fired the shot that killed Abass Ibrahim during the 2020 General Election in the Ablekuma Central Constituency has not yet been identified by the Ghana Armed Forces.

Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, the Minister said investigations revealed that although a man dressed in military uniform was captured on video as the person who allegedly fired the fatal shot, soldiers who were interviewed during the probe denied knowing the individual.

“Investigations revealed that soldiers were interviewed and shown the video of a man dressed in military uniform and reported to be the person who fired, resulting in the death of Abass Ibrahim.

However, they maintained that the said soldier was not known to them,” Hon. Mohammed-Mubarak said.

He added that the use of armed military personnel for crowd control duties during the elections contributed to the incident that left one person dead and four others injured.

The Minister noted that the situation was avoidable, as police personnel were already present and should have taken charge of crowd management.

According to the Interior Minister, the Special Investigation Task Force, established to probe the 2020 and 2024 election violence, found that the lack of coordination between the police and military at the collation centre led to the unfortunate outcome.

"The incident was a clear case of operational failure and poor coordination,” he stated. “If proper communication had existed between the police and military teams, the use of live ammunition could have been avoided.”

The Minister announced that the Task Force has recommended that compensation be paid to the family of the late Abass Ibrahim and the four persons who sustained injuries during the incident.

He said the report has been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Office for necessary action regarding compensation and possible prosecution.

The case docket has also been referred to the Cold Case Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for further review.

Hon. Mohammed-Mubarak emphasized that the government remains committed to ensuring accountability for all acts of electoral violence.

“Under the leadership of His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, the government will ensure that justice is served and that those responsible for electoral violence are held accountable,” he assured.

The Interior Minister urged all security agencies to adhere strictly to crowd control protocols and desist from using live ammunition in civilian operations.

He further called for better coordination among security agencies to prevent similar incidents in future elections.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith