Armed Robbers deserve “shoot to kill” response – Regional
Minister
WA, Aug. 4, GNA – Mr. Mahmud Khalid,
Upper West Regional Minister, on Thursday said armed robbers
deserved the “shoot to kill” response they were currently
getting from the military and police personnel because
criminals never have respect for the rights of other people.
“How can criminals have rights?”, he queried, and appealed
to human rights activists to refrain from criticizing the
methods being used by the security agencies to confront
armed robbers, adding that “we should not endorse that only
criminals have rights”.
He said the exercise was meant to save everybody including
human rights activists themselves, and to ensure that sanity
prevailed in the society.
Mr. Khalid said these when he interacted with personnel of
the Airborne Force detachment at Wa, during a special treat
organized for them by the Military High Command in
appreciation of the role they were playing to curb the
recent spate of armed robberies and other criminal
activities in the country.
He said security was a vital prerequisite for the
development of the nation, and that government would do
everything possible to ensure that all law- abiding citizens
slept soundly and conducted their daily activities in peace
and tranquility.
“We are not saying you should kill at will but if the armed
robbers resist, also meet them with force. Do what it takes
to restore sanity in the country”, the Regional Minister
said.
Captain Ross Foli Atiogbe, Commander of the Detachment, said
the Military Command was proud of the achievements of
“Operation Calm Life”, and urged the personnel not to
entertain any fears when combating armed robbers.
He, however, asked them to be mindful of doing a good job
and not go into excesses which may in the end tarnish the
image of the Armed forces.
GNA
