The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, has accepted responsibility for the Military presence at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.
Mr Mensah has explained he requested for the soldiers on Monday evening upon intelligence he gathered.
As Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), he gathered that the youth had planned to burn the District Police Station.
This, he said, was to take place after the burial of social media activist, Ibrahim Mohammed aka Kaaka Macho, who died on Monday after a mob attack.
“I called on the military, as the Chairman of REGSEC to be a backup a day before the incident.
“I did that based on intelligence I gathered that the youth had planned to go and burn the police station in the town and the homes of the two suspects the police have arrested after the burial of Kaaka,” he disclosed on Accra-based Peace FM.
Though he described the incident as unfortunate, he argued it was not the first time the military had been called as reinforcement.
“It is very unfortunate what happened, but this isn’t the first time the military has been called upon to assist the police. It is a strategy I have used since 2017,” he noted.
Kaaka Macho died from head injuries three days after being admitted at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
RELATED:
His death angered the youth of Ejura who went on a protest in the community on Monday evening, demanding justice and continued on Tuesday.
However, a combined police-military team deployed to maintain peace and order reportedly fired shots into the crowd, killing two people and four injured.
The government has since appointed a three-member committee to probe the deaths and disturbances at Ejura.