Security Men Arrested For Giving Out Fire Arms To Civilians

The police at Bimbila have arrested two security men and put them in custody for illegally entrusting two single barrel short guns and 50 cartridges into the hands of a civilian.

The security men confiscated the weapons from some natives of Makayili in the Bimbila district of the Northern region. Narrating the incident to Radio Justice, the Northern regional Police Commander, ACP Ephraim Oko Brakatu said the Security men, a police and a soldier, whose names have been withheld for security reasons, embarked on an unofficial expedition at Makayili, a village at Bimbila in the Northern. He said the policeman, last Sunday between 8pm and 11pm who was detailed for Bank guard duty at the Bimbila district branch of Ghana Commercial Bank, deserted his post and proceeded to Makayili with the military man and a civilian called Kassim Alhassan in a taxi with registration number CR8733C driven by one Abdula-Razak Tahir, where they searched homes of some natives and confiscated the weapons. They did not arrest anyone and upon retuning to Bimbila the gang neither sent the weapons to the police station nor the military camp, but left them in the care of Kassim, who is currently on the run.

According to the Northern Regional Police Commander, the group may have had an ulterior motive to either sell the weapons or extort money from the owners before releasing them. On the likely sanction to be meted out to the security men and whether they will face any legal action, ACP Brakatu noted that the police man if found guilty could be sacked, because he was involved in a gross neglect of duty. He said the military man will be handled to his outfit for the necessary sanction. The security men could also be charged with stealing by the law court, saying this depends on consents of the owners of the weapons, but said the incident is still under investigation.

ACP Oko Brakatu advised all security men to always lay formal complaints to their commanders. He stated that in cases where they were not able to do so due to constraints, but went ahead and succeeded in discharging their duties, they should report to their heads, in order to be rewarded for a good work done and not to use the service for their selfish interests, saying anyone caught would not be spared.