The soldier tragically killed in a land dispute incident at Millennium City in Kasoa has been identified as Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Danso Michael by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Brigadier General E Aggrey-Quashie, Director General of Public Relations for the GAF, condemned the unprovoked attack in a press release and reaffirmed the GAF’s dedication to maintaining law and order in communities.
He also called on citizens to peacefully and lawfully resolve disputes to avoid similar tragic events in the future.
See below for the full statement from GAF:
“The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) regrets to announce the tragic loss of one of our soldiers in an incident attributed to an alleged land dispute at Millennium City, Kasoa in the Central Region. On Tuesday 30 April 2024, at about 4:20 pm in an unprovoked circumstance, the soldier was attacked and killed by one Benlord Ababio, an alleged landguard.
Our preliminary investigations indicate Lance Corporal (L/Cpl) Omar Abdul Rahman owned a half plot of land which was in dispute at Millennium City, for which the Millennium City Police, informed all parties to stay off the land until the issue was resolved.
Allegedly, L/Cpl Omar was informed some people were working on the land. Accompanied by two of his colleagues – L/Cpl Danso Michael (Deceased) and L/Cpl Ametus Matthew, they visited the land and confirmed the information.
Omar and his colleagues stopped the people from working and proceeded to the Millennium City Police Station to report the issue.
Whilst at the Police Station, the acclaimed owner of the land arrived with 2 others believed to be land guards confronted the soldiers during which they started firing at the deceased soldier who was going to park a vehicle at the Police Station.
The police disarmed and arrested the firer after realizing L/Cpl Danso had been hit by the rounds fired. The body of the deceased soldier has since been deposited at the 37 Military Hospital morgue.
GAF wishes to extend its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, colleagues, friends and loved ones of the deceased soldier; even as we closely collaborate with the police in conduct further investigations. The general public will be duly informed about the outcome of the investigations in due course.
GAF condemns this unprovoked attack in no uncertain terms. We reiterate our commitment to maintaining law and order in our communities, and urge all citizens to seek peaceful and lawful means to resolve land disputes and to refrain from engaging in acts of violence to prevent such tragic incidents.”
