23 soldiers cited in Kasoa clashes released

Twenty-three soldiers who were Friday detained after fatal clashes with residents of Kasoa Millennium City have been released.

Joy News sources say they were released on Friday evening.

Kasoa Millennium City Police Commander, ASP Christopher Darkeh, said the soldiers were invited for interrogation but have been released based on some legal complications.

“We have procedures of approaching certain issues…according to them they were instructed to come here for an exercise. Who instructed them to? Their boss. So we deal with their boss,” he said.

One person died while four persons got seriously injured when the officers fired gunshots to disperse a crowd who were protesting a demolition exercise by a private developer in the area.

A military statement confirming the incident said the presence of the soldiers were required in the area at the specific time.

“We wish to state that the soldiers were on operation ‘calm life duty’ which required their presence at the area. While patrolling the area, the team encountered a large crowd, protesting against the presence of an estate developer. In their attempt to calm the crowd, some crowd members threw stones at the patrol team.

"Some warning shots were fired in an attempt to disperse the crowd. The shots is alleged to have injured some members of the crowd,” the statement noted.

Police account
It was an “unbelievable” scene, the Millennium City District Police Commander, ASP Darkey, told Joy News.

“I confronted them to know their mission…..I quickly ordered them that they should stop it” he said. More police reinforcements arrived.

He said the soldiers explained that they were from the Southern Command and were returning to their base because they had completed their mission.

"I said they could not go and I quickly used my vehicle to cross their path….and at long last we were able to bring them to the police station for interrogation," he said.

Meanwhile, all the injured persons have been treated and discharged.