A young man was publicly ordered by a soldier to climb into a gutter and retrieve rubbish he had allegedly dumped at Danquah Circle in Accra, after he was caught during President John Dramani Mahama’s national clean-up exercise. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread debate over sanitation enforcement and public discipline.
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The footage, captured by Asaase News, shows the man, dressed in a white shirt and brown trousers, being confronted after he allegedly threw refuse into a drainage channel that was actively being cleaned by a task force operating under military supervision. The incident has renewed conversations about public responsibility and enforcement of sanitation laws following Ghana’s recent deadly floods.
Soldier Orders Man to Retrieve Refuse
According to eyewitnesses, the man had thrown rubbish into the drain moments before he was confronted by the soldier.
The soldier instructed him to climb into the large drainage channel and retrieve the waste while journalists and members of the public watched.
In one of the video’s most striking moments, the soldier ordered the man to remove his white shirt and use it to collect the rubbish from inside the gutter before bringing it out.
The incident occurred at Danquah Circle, one of several locations where authorities have intensified sanitation activities following the June 29 floods.
For more on the government’s post-flood sanitation measures, read our coverage of Ghana’s national clean-up campaign.
Crackdown Follows Deadly Floods
The confrontation happened on the first day of President John Dramani Mahama’s two-day national clean-up exercise, launched after the devastating June 29 floods that killed dozens of people and destroyed homes, businesses and public infrastructure.
Ahead of the exercise, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs warned that anyone who ignored sanitation directives would face the full force of the law, adding that the security agencies, including the military, were fully involved in enforcing compliance.
The viral video has become one of the most talked-about moments from the exercise, with many Ghanaians sharing differing views online about whether the soldier’s actions were justified.
Mahama Reopens Six Waste Transfer Stations
As part of broader efforts to improve sanitation in Accra, President Mahama has directed the immediate reopening of six waste transfer stations that have remained unused for about nine years.
Speaking at Alajo after inspecting the second day of the clean-up exercise, the President said reopening the facilities would give waste collectors designated disposal points, reducing pressure on existing landfill sites and improving refuse collection across the capital.
He explained that smaller waste collection vehicles, including tricycle operators, would be able to deposit refuse at nearby transfer stations, where larger trucks would transport it to final disposal sites.
“We’ve had six transfer stations that were built more than nine years ago. Unfortunately, they were not put into operation. So we’ve asked the contractor to open the transfer stations so that the waste operators can take the garbage there,” President Mahama said.
The President noted that the move would address complaints from waste operators who have struggled with limited disposal facilities, leading to refuse piling up in parts of Accra.
He urged sanitation workers to use the nearest transfer station instead of travelling long distances to the Amasaman landfill and thanked residents, local authorities and sanitation workers for supporting the national clean-up campaign.
“Ghana is a resilient country, Accra is a resilient city, and we will bounce back better than before,” he said.
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