The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) says it cannot be blamed for the escape from custody of soldier, Private Seth Goka, who has been implicated in the gruesome murder of Alhaji Issa Mobila, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the Convention People’s Party.

The GAF Director of Public Affairs, Col. Emmanuel Nibo, who called into Joy FM's news analysis programme, Newsfile, hosted by Kofi Ansah, Saturday, said although before he absconded, Goka was living in the barracks like a normal soldier, his outfit cannot be held responsible for his whereabouts because he was then not under any military guard.

“When the guys (Goka and his colleague suspects) were transferred from Tamale to Accra, they were in 1BN. The 1BN is responsible for the Eastern Region, apparently they were not in the military guard room, and they were living in barracks just like any other soldier.”

Issa Mobila was tortured to death at the Tamale Kamina Barracks on December 9, 2004 after he had responded to a police invitation.

An autopsy performed on the body of the deceased revealed he had been tortured to death, with broken ribs, collapsed left lung and haemothorax, as well as many other visible injuries.

Private Goka and two other colleagues, Private Modzaka Eric and Corporal Yaw Appiah, have been cited for his murder.

But when the case was first called in an Accra High Court on Monday, 16 November, 2009, military officials told the court, presided over by Justice Senyo Dzamefeh, that they could not establish the whereabouts of Private Goka who was expected to have been in custody with his two other colleagues.

Col. Nibo however admitted that prior to his fleeing, Goka and his colleagues were deployed in various military operations such as the ‘Operation Calm Life’, an anti-armed robbery operation.

He, therefore, cannot explain the circumstances leading to his “disappearance”.

“I don’t know the circumstances under which they were given that laxity to be on that operation...this was an arrangement made by the previous administration, so they were in the barracks living like they are normal soldiers.

“So when the new administration came in and I think there were these indications that the alleged killers would be prosecuted - the arrangement in 1BN is that when you go on that operation and you come back you take two days off - so with that indication in mind when he went on duty, this was on 15/16 March and when he returned to the barracks, before he was to report for the next duty, he has disappeared.”

When asked efforts being made by the GAF to recapture him, Col. Nibo replied: “I believe they are looking for him.”

At the moment, it is not clear if Private Goka is still in the country but the military might have a clue to that.

“Normally when people go on AWOL (absent without leave) they don’t stay in the country, they go out so it is difficult to say where he may be as at today.”

A member of the panel, Raymond Archer, Editor-in-Chief of the Enquirer newspaper, chastised the military for letting Goka and his colleagues loose.

“If the guy is a murder suspect, you armed him with a gun to go back into the same society to do what?”

He advised the security institutions to be careful in order not to lose public confidence otherwise, “they will find life very, very difficult”.