NPP Police: Story Confirmed, Minister Declines To Comment

Contrary to the explanation given by the propagandist of government, there are very strong indications that the Kufour government has clandestinely recruitment people to be trained as “Party Police”.

Last week, a group of young men who called at the offices of The Insight revealed to this reporter that they were part of the first batch of thirty-five (35) young men clandestinely recruited by the Kufour government “to be trained to handle weapons like rebels in the Congo and Sierra Leone”. Asked how they came by the information, they named one Mr Sablah Simon, a Deputy Front Desk Officer at the office of the President, Castle Annex, as the person who relayed the information to them.

They alleged that Mr Sablah told them that the exercise, which was to take place at the Ho Regional Hosue of Chiefs on 12th March, 2003 “was communicated to government officials only and was meant to be relayed to their relatives since it was based on party affiliation.” They named a retired military officer whose name is being withheld as the officer in charge of the recruitment.

According to them, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Owusu Yeboa, brought a group of people from his area – Jasikan, Kadjebi and Worawora – who lodged in his residence throughout the period of the exercise. They said a few of the recruits came from Anlo, Ho and four (4) from Accra. They revealed that on 13th March, 2003, the retired military officer and Sablah from Accra aboard a violet land cruiser including some people from the Ho Regional CID headquarters came to conduct a finger-print exercise.

“On 4th May 2003, we were told to report at Ho for medical tests and examinations at the Trafalga Hospital. “We were given a form each to fill by the Special Assistant to the minister, Mr Boateng,” the disclosed. The group alleged that this form had the inscription, “National Security Guards” and that they were supposed to indicate the political party they belonged to.

According to them, they all indicated that they belonged to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), except one person who revealed that he belonged to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) “and quickly they dropped him.”

The group further alleged that they were told by the officials in charge of the exercise that they (the recruits) would be “trained to handle weapons like rebels in Congo and Sierra Leone” and that they were to keep it “secret”.