Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) Sammy Gyamfi, has pointed out that the blatant display of thuggery and lawlessness in the country against innocent citizens, especially journalists and political appointees is giving Ghana a bad name in the international community.
He said this in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on the New Day show on TV3, Tuesday, May 18.
Mr Gyamfi was speaking on the back of the calls by Ghanaians to reform the National Security apparatus of the country that is seen to run amok on journalists and political appointees like the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator who were picked up by the security outfit in their offices last week.
He said “it is a big shame to us as a country, that almost 30 years after our fourth Republican Democracy we will be recording these shameful acts of violence and thuggery directed at people in government, ordinary citizens and the media. And it’s about time our friends in the NPP were told that these acts they are engaging in are bringing the good name of Ghana into disrepute in the comity of nations. And it’s about time we called on President Akufo-Addo to nip once and for all, this culture of thuggery and lawlessness in the bud.
“It started off when President Akufo-Addo was in opposition, came out to say he didn’t have any confidence in the Ghana Police Service and our security agencies, that was in the run up to the 2012 and 2016 elections and came out to boldly preach and advocate violence. And actually gave a directive to his party executives to go round the country recruiting thugs, hoodlums into various vigilante groups like the Invincible Forces, Bolgatanga Bulldogs, Delta Forces, Volta Crocodiles. President Akufo-Addo brought in, as leader of the NPP mercenaries from South Africa to train these people”.
He went on to say that “when he won power that continued, a police officer at the Flagstaff House DSP Nanka Bruce was brutalized by these so called vigilante groups and nothing happened, till date nothing has been done to them. They went on to forcibly remove the then Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator and actually vandalized the Regional Coordinating Council where the guy had his office and nobody was punished, just a few people were arrested and put before the KMA court in Kumasi, only for their counterparts to break cells and free them.
“They actually attacked a court of competent jurisdiction, till date all those criminals have been left off the hook. They have attacked contractors, they have attacked government institutions, some of them have been integrated into our National Security apparatus, some of them are engaging in galamsey, some were the ones who were used to perpetrate the Ayawaso West Wuogon violence against innocent citizens and a sitting Member of Parliament.
“Of course, who is Double? That’s an NPP vigilante and what about Alhassan? The guy who slapped Sam George. The Emile Short Commission recommended his prosecution and till date President Akufo-Addo says he will not prosecute him because he was provoked. When as a lawyer, you cannot be any talk of provocation when you are dealing with assault, he defends them, he protects them and that is why the culture of thuggery and lawlessness is fast festering under his government.
“My worry as a Ghanaian, like I said earlier on, is that it is giving Ghana a bad name, it is an embarrassment to this country. That in a constitutional democracy governed by law, with security agencies, this is how we behave and when it happens no transparent investigations are done, nobody is prosecuted, nobody is punished and that is why these guys are getting increasingly emboldened in engaging in it. And it is this same culture of thuggery, lawlessness, violence that informed, for the first time in the history of this country, the military invasion of our parliamentary chamber”.
Meanwhile, Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) Kamal Deen who also spoke on the same show said “The man has his story to tell, the other side has their story to tell too, which is the National Security Set up. I have picked up information that, lawfully the man has been changed, someone was appointed since the 9th of April, he is the man who is supposed to be the current security coordinator, having received your letter from the 9th of April, you are supposed to at least leave office. The man boldly said, according to reports I have picked, which investigation is still ongoing but of course, this is very authentic. He boldly said that he will not answer to the calls of the letter and that he is not leaving that office.
“He said he was waiting for the man who is supposed to take over from him to come before he leaves office. In fact, the information that is out there indicates that he has been invited by his authorities, then he refused to respond to such calls by the National Security set up, then of course, officially National Security sent people to inform him that, look you need to come to Accra. It is when the officers visited him, then he placed a call to the Police Command that he had been besieged by so called hoodlums, which in fact is not true”
By Barima Kwabena Yeboah|3news.com|Ghana