'My boys overacted' – SWAT commander tells Short Commission

The Police SWAT Commander who led the operation to La Bawaleshie in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in Accra has admitted that the security operatives engaged in excesses during the disturbances on the day of the by-election.

DSP Samuel Azugu told the Emile Short Commission Monday that the SWAT team “overacted” while trying to arrest some men suspected to be engaged in some untoward activity.

Narrating his account to the Commission of inquiry, DSP Azugu said his team was on a mission to confiscate some arms that were allegedly being stockpiled in a residence at La Bawaleshie.

DSP Azugu led the SWAT team to La Bawaleshie

He said when they arrived in the area, his vehicle had parked on the road and another vehicle was also parked behind him so they decided to engage in a minimal traffic direction and also reposition their vehicles.

“While we were doing that, we spotted a convoy of motorbikes and they numbered about 15 riders with multiple passengers,” he said.
He said the riders were accompanied by three vehicles which were being occupied by Ningo Prampram MP, Sam George, MP for Ablekuma South, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije and some National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives.
The officer said after exchanging pleasantries with the legislators, he asked the bikers what their mission was; the rest of the bikers he said, had ridden off.
The men, according to DSP Azugu, said they had come to protect the ballot boxes. “I told them as they can see the police and immigration are here for that so they should leave and they rode toward the direction of the earlier ones who left,” he narrated.
He said shortly after that, there were some gunshots from where the bikers went.
Continuing with his narration, DSP Azugu said his team traced the sounds and when they approached the building the shots were coming from, a group of men pelted them with stones while more gunshots came from the building.
“I then ordered my men to fire warning shots and the men retreated to the building after that,” he continued.
He said some of the men were, however, locked out and they apprehended them, nine in number; he added.
“When we were taking them to our vehicles, they tried escaping [and] my men pounced on them and I would admit that my men overacted in re-arresting them,” he noted.
He told the Commission his superiors directed that the arrested persons be sent to the East Legon Police station to help with investigations.
The officer added that to avert any more casualties his team retreated in the quest to retrieve the stockpiled arms.