A member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit of National
Security, Mohammed Sulemana has indicated that he beat Member of
Parliament (MP) for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George for calling him a foolish
Northerner.
Mr. Sulemana was testifying before the Justice Emile Short Commission on Friday, March 8, 2019 at the Osu Castle in Accra.
He said on the day of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, he was
sitting in a car with other members of the SWAT Team when he heard Mr.
George shouting on top of his voice.
He noted that Mr. George came close to the car on the La Bawaleshie
Park and that when Sulemana got down, Mr. George upon seeing his tribal
mark, called him foolish Northerner.
According to him, from the conduct of Mr. George on that day, he did not appear to be a Member of Parliament.
He stated that if he knew Sam George was an MP he would not have “knocked” him.
Sam George was slapped twice on January 31, 2019 during the bloody by-election.
When asked if he would apologize when given the opportunity, he responded in the affirmative.
“My Lord, I will apologize to him. My Lord, I was guilty at what I did. I regret what I did,” he said in Dagbani.
He appeared very remorseful throughout his short testimony.
A member of the Commission, Prof. Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, admonished him to be mindful of actions as a public official.
She said “so never forget that when you wear a uniform, you are not
Sulemana but a Ghanaian official and you must treat all Ghanaians with
respect.”
She told him that “you need to apologize not only to the person (Mr. George) but also to your unit and to all of us.”
A video was shown to Mr. Sulemana during the hearing in which he was
seen dropping off the vehicle angrily towards Mr. George and ended up
slapping him.
I slapped Sam George for calling me foolish Northerner – SWAT
