In a growing wave of concern over the increasing militarisation of Ghana’s political space, former Defense Minister and Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul, has accused the government of using the military to intimidate citizens including himself.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, February 12, Nitiwul disclosed that armed military personnel had been trailing his movements in recent times, raising questions about the state of democracy in Ghana.
“They are using soldiers to intimidate Ghanaians, including myself, and that is not democracy,” he lamented.
His concerns come in the wake of a recent military raid on the residence of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, an incident that has sparked widespread outrage and speculation about political persecution.
The raid, which saw heavily armed soldiers storming Ofori-Atta’s home, has fueled fears that state security forces are being deployed to target individuals deemed politically inconvenient.
While the government has remained tight-lipped on both incidents, critics, particularly, members of the previous government argue that these actions point to a worrying pattern of militarised intimidation against political figures.