President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he is “extremely disturbed” by the circulation of “foreign” brutality videos on social media to portray Ghana’s military force and police service, who are enforcing the partial lockdown directives in Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, and Kasoa, as part of measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, as a ruthless and lawless bunch.

In his fifth address to the nation on the coronavirus situation in Ghana on Sunday, the President said: “Reports I have received so far, indicate that the police, military and other members of our security services have discharged their mandate with considerable professionalism”.

“Furthermore, working with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, we see personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces involved in the clean-up of our drainage systems and of our markets”, he said.

He said “in the very few instances where members of our security agencies have employed the use of excessive force against the citizenry, in enforcing the restrictions on movement, the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces have taken steps to investigate such incidents, and, they have given me the assurance that those found culpable, will be duly sanctioned.”

“Thus far, the alleged wrongdoers have been withdrawn from the ongoing exercise”, he announced, adding: “To enhance command and control, more senior officers have been deployed at the operational level, and each member of our security services participating in the exercise has been handed an aide-mémoire highlighting, essentially, the guidelines for the operation”.

“However, I am extremely disturbed by the actions of a few, unpatriotic persons, who are deliberately passing off and circulating old videos of alleged brutality by members of the security agencies, largely of foreign origin, and presenting them as though they were new incidents by Ghanaian security personnel, which have occurred during the course of this past week.

“It is sad, it is unfortunate, and it must end. We should all be in this fight together, and there is nothing to be gained with widespread fabrication and distribution of such videos, whose sole aim is to create discontent, and undermine the trust of the population in the men and women of our security services. Who gains from such conduct? Nobody in their right senses! The law enforcement agencies are determined to locate the originators of these anti-social acts”.

So far, the virus has killed five people in Ghana out of the two hundred and fourteen confirmed cases with three full recoveries.