Ghana's Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, publicly confronted a military officer in the Ningo-Prampram constituency, accusing him of mistreating residents and taking civilian property without legal authority, according to Yen News.
The confrontation took place outdoors at Afienya before a crowd that included onlookers, security personnel and police officers. A video of the exchange has since spread widely online. In it, the minister names Lieutenant Albert Goh and reads out the officer's Ghana Armed Forces number to those gathered.
According to Yen News, Sam George said Lieutenant Goh led a group of heavily armed soldiers into the constituency and confiscated trucks belonging to private citizens without showing any lawful order. The minister said the vehicles were held for two weeks, and he compared the seizure to armed robbery.
Why it matters
The episode puts a sitting cabinet minister in direct public conflict with the military over how soldiers operate inside a civilian community. Ningo-Prampram is Sam George's own constituency, and his decision to name an officer and recite his service number in front of a crowd raises the dispute from a local grievance to a question of military discipline and accountability.
It also tests the relationship between the armed forces and the police. The minister's account includes an allegation that a senior police officer was not only ignored but had weapons pointed at him, which, if accurate, would place the confrontation at the intersection of two security services.
What the minister alleged
Yen News reports that Sam George told the crowd a police chief superintendent tried to intervene and speak with the lieutenant. According to the minister, Goh showed disrespect to the senior police officer and ordered his men to draw their weapons on him.
The minister called on the Chief of Defence Staff to remove Lieutenant Goh from the armed forces, arguing that the officer had damaged the reputation of the military. He also said he would take the matter up directly with the Minister for Defence.
Sam George further warned that any soldier who came back to Ningo-Prampram to brutalise residents would face the consequences, saying such a person would have broken their oath.
A call for restraint from residents
Alongside the confrontation, the minister urged people in the community, including those working in the sand and stone trade, not to take the law into their own hands. He asked them to leave the matter to their leaders and the police and to pursue it through the proper channels.
The video was filmed by Ghanaian blogger Daily View GH, according to Yen News, and it prompted sharp reactions on social media. Users were split over both the conduct alleged against the soldiers and the way the minister chose to handle it.
Yen News also noted that Sam George was earlier appointed chair of the African Union's Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and ICT, a role that places him at the centre of the continent's digital policy discussions, including cybersecurity and digital infrastructure.
The armed forces and the Ministry of Defence have not commented publicly on the allegations in the reporting. Lieutenant Goh has not responded to the claims, and no charge or formal finding against him has been reported.
What to watch is whether the Chief of Defence Staff or the Defence Minister responds to the minister's request, and whether the police pursue the allegation involving their chief superintendent.
