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Bryan Acheampong, Minister of State in charge of National Security, has debunked claims that the gunshot wounds inflicted on some members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were from the SWAT team.

According to him, per his briefing, the victims were injured from gunshot wounds at the residence of the NDC parliamentary candidate and not from the 60 men who were deployed to the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

The by-election was marred with chaos after masked men said to be National Security operatives stormed the Bawaleshie polling center because of ‘intelligence’ they received.

Per Bryan’s claims, “we had intelligence that some materials were being sent to a warehouse and it included weapons; which they (SWAT team) were concerned about . . . but they didn’t enter the property. They fired the warning shots at the gate and arrested nine people but they did not complete their mission, they should have searched the property extensively . . . ”

Bryan who was speaking at his appearance at the Emile Short Commission further stated: “they (SWAT team) told me that in the arrest of the nine people, six were injured and I asked if it was from gunshot wounds and they said NO; they were resisting arrest and they applied minimal force in their language and sustained injuries; they sent them to the police station and they were given medical forms."

"The gunshots did not come from the SWAT team; they denied it . . . the gunshot wounds came from inside the house (of the NDC candidate) and they suspect that because the people (in that house) were not trained, something might have gone wrong for the guns to go off . . . but they (SWAT team) did not enter the house.”