Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Dr. Adam Bonaa, has backed government’s decision to withdraw military protection for the Electoral Commission Chair, Jean Mensa.
Speaking in an interview with Emmanuel Agyabeng on GHToday on GHOne TV on July 7, 2025, Dr. Bonaa questioned the rationale behind deploying soldiers to guard civilian officials, stating that military officers are trained fighters, not bodyguards.
“But in which country do you go to? It’s as if we do not know the work of the military. Military officers are not bodyguards. Military officers are fighters. You don’t train military officers to be providing bodyguard services,” he said.
He argued that bodyguard duties are meant for police officers who are professionally trained for such roles. According to him, deploying soldiers for personal protection was a misplaced decision.
“So to start with, whoever deployed military officers to be providing service to the EC chair and other people in this country, that person didn’t think through it well,” he added.
Dr. Bonaa noted that in advanced countries, it is rare to see military officers providing personal security for public officials, as such duties are the mandate of the police.
“The police is well-trained for this type of service because they are not trained to just shoot and kill. If under attack, they will shoot and maim. But the military will shoot and kill you. And that will be it,” he explained.
He commended the President John Dramani Mahama and national security for replacing the military officers with police, describing it as aligning with best international practices.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
