Even C-I-C Akufo-Addo uses Police protection not soldiers – Adorye jabs Bagbin

President Akufo-Addo is largely secured by Police personnel

This is despite his status as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces

The main soldier guard is his Aide de Camp

Hopeson Adorye, a failed parliamentary aspirant of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP, has claimed that even in his capacity as Commander in Chief (C-I-C) of the Ghana Armed Forces, the main security protocol of the President is largely made up of Police personnel.

He has, however, dismissed uproar about Speaker Alban Bagbin’s security ‘downgrade’ occasioned by the withdrawal of some soldiers attached to his office since 2021.

Adorye holds the view that there is nothing indicating Bagbin will be exposed to risks with the withdrawal because he drives around with ample security.

“You see soldiers around the President because our Constitution says he is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, so all soldiers recognize him as their leader.

“Even with him, it is not the soldiers that give him protection. Apart from his ADC (aide de camp) who is the soldier that stands behind him, close protection responsibility does not involve soldiers.

“Though when he is moving, you see them following but they don’t provide close protection, it is the job of the police who are trained to that effect,” he stressed.

Adorye made the comments on Monday, January 17, 2022, edition of 'The Dialogue' programme on Accra-based Net2 TV.

He cautioned that, Ghanaians needed to see through the mischief in how the opposition National Democratic Congress is approaching the issue.

It emerged recently that the Military has written to the Speaker of Parliament informing him about the withdrawal of some four soldiers assigned to him.

The National Security Ministry justified the withdrawal stating that the security of the Speaker was the responsibility of the Police even though the Military had stated that they were only withdrawing the officers in order to regularize their deployment.

Since then, the Majority and Minority in Parliament have issued statements backing the withdrawal and criticizing respectively, the decision.

Whilst the Minority insists that it was a case of Executive overreach and witch-hunt, the Majority have backed the move stating that Bagbin is the most protected Speaker of Parliament under the Fourth Republic.