Arrest Of AMA Official: Fighting Corruption Or A Clear Case Of Scapegoat Justice?

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) office at the Accra Central, last week recorded a theatrical drama when the AMA led by its Chief Executive, Dr. Alfred Nii Oko Vanderpuije, ordered the arrest of one of his men at a press conference.

The press conference was aimed at launching a disaster fund in the wake of the Melcom disaster that left over 14 people dead and about 80 being rescued.

The event turned theatrical at the highest order, when an AMA official was arrested in the full glare of the public for corruption and abuse of office.

What was his crime? The man who goes by the name Mr. Christian Ababio was alleged to have been compromised by a private developer who was putting up an 8-storey building without due permit.

It is quite intriguing to note that for the first time in the history of the AMA an officer is being punished for corruption by its own boss. We at ModernGhana would like to say thumbs up Dr. Nii Oko Vanderpuije for that bold decision to cause the arrest of your own man.

But the most puzzling matter we would like to put across is that, is Mr. Christian Ababio the only AMA official who engaged in those furtive deals at the AMA office? Obviously he might have accomplices—so what happens to those people as well?

There are countless number of cases of extortion and abuse of office the AMA boss may be privy to, but he has been totally mute over them.

A number of innocent Ghanaians, who have fallen victims to the underhand dealings at the AMA, always flood their offices to make complaints but to no avail.

Dr. Nii Oko Vanderpuije made matters worse when he came out to state that a lot of buildings in Accra have no permit.

The AMA boss has been well aware of this and the sort of stinky deals under his watch but swept the issue under the carpet until disaster struck before he intensified his search for scapegoats.

The million-dollar question we at ModernGhana would like to pose to the AMA boss is that if the infamous Melcom Disaster had not occur what would Mr. Christian Ababio still be doing at the AMA office?

Obviously, Mr. Christian Ababio would have continued to be at post and carried out those shady corrupt deals at the AMA.

We think it is high time we condemned this multifaceted ineptitude at the highest peak being exhibited by the AMA boss.

This action is characteristic of a knee-jerk reaction and must not be given any more room in our beloved capital city, Accra.

Mr. Christian Ababio did not carry out the operation singlehandedly in one day at all!

This is because it was a process; so who and who helped him in this public thievery in broad day light?

The arrest of Mr. Christian Ababio would be nothing short of pure display of buffoonery and would not make any sense at all if his other accomplices are not brought to book.

As matter of fact, this sort of scapegoat justice should not be applied in this part of our world in any way!!!

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