Martin Amidu writes: The butterfly effect of the Garu and Tempane Districts government sponsored daylight armed robbery

The Ghana Web report this morning on “Koforidua court remands two Jubilee House soldiers, immigration officer for alleged robbery” does not surprise me after the Government sponsored military brutalities and armed robbery of phones, money, and other properties in the Garu and Tempane Districts supervised by Albert Kan-Dapaah, the Minister of National Security. Myjoyonline.com also carried a similar rendition of the same report this morning.

The accused persons are Sergeant Mensah Dominic and L/Cpl Tetteh Wayo, both enlisted military men stationed at the Jubilee House, and L/CPL Nyarko Bernard from ABF at Tamale command Unit, and PTE/ Eric Anim from the 11 Mechanised Infantry Battalion in Accra (currently on leave) who were picked for the robbery operation at Pokuase. The other accused persons are L.C.O/ Richard Okyere, an immigration officer at the Ministry of Interior, and Kelvin Marfo, a private security man at the 5th Hour Mining Company in Akyem Akwatia. The mastermind of the robbery operation is the immigration officer at the Ministry of the Interior, L.C.O./ Richard Okyere, who orchestrated the robbery using a Government owned Mitsubishi L200 with registration number GS – 1116-11.

This operation, like the dawn joint operation in Garu and its environs on 29 October 2023, also took place at dawn on 11 November 2023 with the accused reportedly armed with military rifles and in military uniforms. They invaded the home of the complainant, a cocoa purchasing clerk, and demanded GH¢100,000.00 from him on pain of violence to his person, but eventually settled for a 5-gram gold ore valued at GH¢29,000 in his possession and fled.

The accused persons were arrested this time round by the Ghana Police Service and not the Ghana Armed Forces. A complaint to the Akwatia Police Commander and a police officer at Osenase resulted in the suspects’ arrest at the Osenase police checkpoint. Two military rifles, four magazines, sixty-two rounds of live ammunition, and a helmet were recovered upon a search. The Ghana Police did not brutalize the suspects or rob their phones and other private property.

The accused persons, in my view, are presumed innocent until convicted by a court of law.

The value of the media report of the proceedings in the Circuit Court, Koforidua, is that the Ghana Police Service which is responsible for internal security has once again proved its traditional capacity and civility in handling suspected crimes. It also proves the lie that the Garu and its environs operation needed soldiers and a helicopter of the Ghana Armed Forces to execute. But it further proves the butterfly effect of the capriciousness of the military brutalities and robbery in Garu and its environs coming back to haunt the Jubilee House, and Albert Kan-Dapaah.

The National Security Minister could not control only two military personnel in the Jubilee House and two other military personnel in Pokuasi, and an immigration officer in the Ministry of the Interior. Albert Kan-Dapaah was, however, able to mobilize soldiers to brutalize and rob the civil population in Garu and its environs on 29 October 2023 instead of using the Ghana Police Service, and has gotten away with it, with the blessings of Parliament. Exposed! God does not sleep or slumber!

Martin A. B. K. Amidu
16 November 2023