Ghana Armed Forces Deserter In Town!

A desertion by an officer of the rank of a Colonel occurred in the Ghana Armed Forces under strange circumstances in the last quarter of the year
2006.

Colonel E Brakatu (GH/2123) was appointed the Director of Strategic Intelligence at the Department of Defence Intelligence at the General Headquarters on 12th September 2006. The senior officer who was until then working at another Department at the General Headquarters failed to report at his new Department but rather absented himself without official leave (AWOL).

It became apparent after 28 days and finally six months that Colonel E Brakatu had in fact deserted from the Ghana Armed Forces.

This blog gathers that when information reached the Military High Command at that time that the senior officer had sought and obtained an appointment with the United Nations and was in the Darfur Region of Sudan, the necessary processes and procedures for declaring a person subject to the Code of Service Discipline as a deserter were followed and Colonel E Brakatu was accordingly released from the GAF for misconduct as a deserter to be apprehended and tried whenever he returns to Ghana.

According to Section 27 of the Armed Forces Act and Article 103.19 of the Armed Forces Regulations (Discipline) “Every person who deserts shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction, if he committed the offence on active service or when under orders for active service, shall be liable to imprisonment for life or to any less punishment provided by this Act, and in any other Case shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to any less punishment provided by this Act”.

Colonel E Brakatu deserted from the Ghana Armed Forces in 2006 but returned to Ghana a few months ago and in fact, this is his second home coming since he came home last year.

When he returned home last year, this senior officer was spotted walking freely in Burma Camp, at the Castle and at the premises of the Secretariat of the National Security Council chauffeur driven by agents and employees of the Security Agencies in official vehicles with the knowledge and consent of the ‘powers that be’.

According to sources, Colonel EWK Nibo, the out gone Director of Public Relations of the Ghana Armed Forces was aware of the presence of Colonel E Brakatu in Ghana.

Indeed, when Colonel E Brakatu was seen in Burma Camp during the week 14th -18 September 2009, the lens of our sources captured the two senior officers heartily chatting.

It was open secret that an officer of the Ghana Armed Forces aided and abetted and connived at the desertion of Colonel E Brakatu.

This officer was seen parking and carting the property and personnel belongings of Colonel E Brakatu from his official residence to his private home.

Incidentally, this same officer is currently working at the Castle and is believed to be the one who has been providing vehicles and drivers to move the ‘deserter officer’ about freely in the country into and out of security zones with impunity.

This development according to our sources has been of great concern in the Ghana Armed Forces since other service personnel (officers and men) who returned to Ghana after deserting and were seen had been arrested, charged, Court Martialed and given appropriate punishments when found guilty.

There was a famous case in 2008 when an officer in the Ghana Airforce who had deserted returned to Ghana. The officer was Court Martialed and given the appropriate punishment upon conviction. Also, several soldiers have also suffered punishments in similar cases in the past.

It is therefore surprising and scandalous that Colonel E Brakatu is a free man and walking in the corridors of political power.

This blog learnt that Colonel E Brakatu might be walking freely because of his association with those who matters most when it comes to advising the President on security.
Colonel E Brakatu was the ADC to then Force Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces in the 1980s during the PNDC Administration. Thus, Colonel E Brakatu was the ADC to General Arnold Quiainoo for so many years and became a Staff Officer to him as well after being the ADC.

Also, Colonel E Brakatu was the ADC to General Arnold Quiainoo while the current Defence Minister, General Smith, was at various times the Director Military Training and Director Military Operations at the Force Headquarters at Flagstaff House.

Colonel E Brakatu became the Director Army Intelligence and Plans (DAIP) at Army Headquarters when General Smith was the Army Commander and had one of his former deputies as a former ADC to General Smith.

This blog found out that attempts are being made for the Military High Command and the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces; President Mills, to pardon Colonel E Brakatu so that he can really become a free officer cleansed of his sins of desertion to enable him get his pension benefits.