On Guantanamo Bay: Ghana’s Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh Must Resign

The New Patriotic Party UK calls on Hanna SerwaaTetteh,Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, to resign immediately. Madam Tettehhas misled Ghanaians about why terrorists previously imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay have been brought to Ghana, thereby placing the whole of Ghana and all Ghanaians at risk ofterrorist attack.

In an official statement, Madam Tetteh told Ghanaiansthat two detainees from Guantanamo Bay who have just been expatriated to Ghana had been cleared by the US security authorities and were not a threat to national security. She was being economical with the truth.

This is not the first time MadamTettehhas made conflicting statements. In November 2014, asGhana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, she sat on Radio Gold and said that the jailed socialite NayeleAmetefe (aka Ruby AduGyamfi), now serving eight years and eight months in the UKfor drug smuggling offences, had thought she was carrying gold dust in luggage she took to London. British police and customs officials later certified that the “gold dust” was narcotics: 12.5 kilograms of cocaine, worth nearly £2 million. The same NayeleAmetefe, arriving at KotokaInternational Airport to board the plane to London on which she was arrested on 10 November 2014,was given VVIP access by Ghana national security officials through the airport in Accra.

In Madam Tetteh’s statement, the Foreign Minister failed to tell Ghanaians that these two terrorists, Mahmoud Omar Bin Atif and Khalid SalihAl Dhuby, were already in the country. This created the impression that the former detainees were about to arrive and Ghanaians had nothing to fear.

It has also emerged that she did not inform Parliament because Deputy Ranking spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Mr IssacOsei MP for Subin has stated in an interview with the press that parliament had not been informed .This to us is gross abuse of power .

However, it has emerged that bothmen, whether proven terrorists or not, received training in Afghanistan with the Taliban. The Talibanare still waging a war against the democratically elected Afghan government, in tandem with the work ofal-Qaeda, which has links to Islamic State and other terrorist groups operating in the Middle East and Africa. In fact, one of the two men now in Ghana was an aide of Osama Bin Laden.

The government of Sudan took some of these ex-Guantanamo Bay inmatessome years ago. Of two prisoners transferred in December 2013, at least one escaped to Yemen tocommit atrocities.Another one who transferred to Sudanin 2012 is now a terror chief in Yemen. The leopard does not change its spots!

The United States government thought it fit to detainboth of these men for years.In a Fox Television news report as well as on ABC News, the men were described as high security risk: in other words, they are dangerous and prone to engage in terrorism.

We in NPP UK believe that common sense rather than financial benefit and personal gain should guide our leaders. Thesecurity, welfare and well-being of the people of Ghana are more important than the interests of our selfish leaders. Our rights cannot be horse-traded for money, or to curry favour with the US government for its support in helping to win elections!

We respect the United States and admire its democratic values and freedoms. The United States is the most powerful country in the world. It has military bases everywhere from Europe to the Pacific.If these men are a danger to US citizens, does that mean Ghanaians are second-class beings, and soterrorists should be dumped on us, endangeringordinaryGhanaians’ lives?

Former Ghanaian President John AgyekumKufuor together with Nigeria and Algeria refused the request of the United States government in 2007 to set up a US Africa Command (AFRICOM) with military bases in their countries.

Mr. Kufuor flatly rejected the idea of AFRICOM in Ghana. He put the welfare, security and wellbeing of Ghanaians first, something President Mahama and Hannah Tetteh have failed to do!

The Ghana Government under President Mahamais incapable ofbringing an end to the current long trail of power cuts, armed robberies and financial crimes which are collapsing business in our country, putting people out of work, depriving our people of food, decent education and healthcare, and causing daily misery for our people. Recently a million bullets were discovered, brought into Ghana fromTogo to cause mayhem;up to date no one has been arrested. According to news reports in the last few days, Arthur Simpson Kent, who is being sought by the Metropolitan Police in connection with the murder of a reputable Britishtelevision actress and her two young children, has been able to fleeto Ghana.Interpol has had to intervene to assist the Ghana Government to find this man, because Ghana’s “forces of law and order” don’t have the ability or resources to track him down. It is into this environment that Madam Hanna Tetteh has decided to bring two men with a track record of training in terrorist activities.

HannaTetteh is unfit to be a Minister of Foreign Affairs. Shehas been untruthful and dishonest. She must go now!

8 January 2016
Nana Yaw Sarpong
Communications Officer
NPP UK
07983302369