Dear Anas Aremyaw Anas, Please Don't Ignore Who Watches The Watchman

Over the past decade, you have positioned yourself as a forerunner in our fight against corruption in this country. The result, without an iota of doubt has made you one of the most admired and celebrated Ghanaian since independence. On the back of your success in Ghana, you have received a lot of international laurels that makes it ridiculous for anyone to question why you are so rich to an extent. You cannot be as broke as the ordinary Ghanaian Journalist of which I am one but obviously, rain can make an already full river overflow it banks.

You'd allude to the fact that your recent job, Number 12 has been your most talked about documentary and the one that has received both the largest applause and criticism.

I won't pretend here, I have criticised your approach perhaps more than most industry players because I felt that in many of the instances, those declared guilty were victims of raw deal. But that is a topic for another day.

As much as I have criticized some of the methods you adopt on a number of occasions, there has never been a day that I had the least suspicion that you were corrupt: never.

I don't expect you to be perfect, I don't have a problem if your weakness is temperamental, womanizing, fear etcetera, but for corruption, I expect something close to perfection. I can take an Anas guilty of anything but beyond reproach when it comes to the subject of corruption. This is because you have become a beacon of hope for the Ghanaian people and you cannot be what you preach against.

Recently, Honorable kennedy Agyapong called your integrity into question, made many wild allegations against you and promised Ghanaians he was going to reveal to us the person you really are. Like every Ghanaian or let me say most, I was eager to know what he really had even though in all honesty, I had written off the significance of what he going to come up with.

In view of this, I went to the forecourt of Net 2 on the 27th of June 2018 to watch WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMAN even though it was live on TV. I don't trust the ECG Branch at Ablekuma.

This is exactly what I saw in Who Watches the Watchman

Preamble
The story is that Mohammed Hafix Abdullah, the CEO of Hafred Security and owners Almot Company Ltd were accused of defrauding Omega Strategic Ltd, a company abroad of about 1.9 Million Dollars in a gold scam. You were contracted by Omega Strategic Ltd, the defrauded foreign company to investigate the matter and get the suspects arrested

Scene 1
Hafix at Net 2
Hafix is seen in the studios of Net 2 telling Ghana that you took $50,000 to kill his part of a story in the gold scam.

Scene 2
You (Face hidden) Babatunde and Mubarak
In the next scene, you were heard speaking with Babatude and Mubarak, accomplices of Hafix at a very secluded place in a slum-like area. In the video, Babatude narrates his encounter with you and all that he had told you before the said meeting.

Mubarak comes in, tells you how he got the Business from Benin. He spoke about the monies paid to him, the settlement he made and what have you. You were heard telling him that what was necessary was to create a story good enough to get them out of the picture so that Hafix is left alone to be dealt with the law. You called the Hafix guy and in your own words, 'a dead man'. In fact, you committed yourself to assist help get out of the issue.

In a nutshell, the conversation was to pin down Hafix who according you was proving stubborn and the keys to that was the confession of Mubarak and Babatude

Scene 3.
You in the office of a state prosecutor.
In the video, you are seen in the office of a state prosecutor, after narrating your encounter with the suspects, you played a video captured and led her each step of the way. You talked about being bought with a hundred thousand because the guy wanted to settle everyone so that the case dies. After this, the prosecutor asked about what was going to her which you indicated as $5000. You went further to indicate that $75,000 was paid to DCOP Adu Poku, the then Director General of CID.

Finally, the State Prosecutor said that everything had to be presented to fit into the agenda.

This is what I watched in WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMAN
Now to the real issue
After these encounters, prosecutor refuses to appear in court same with lawyers for the accused. After years of no show, Justice Quist throws the case out.

In your encounter with Mubarak and Babatunde, Baba said point blank that he was willing to give everything needed to kill the case. It was therefore consistent with what you told the state prosecutor about being bought. I believe this needs an explanation from you.

These are videos, proper videos. What did you give to Omega Strategic as the result of the investigative piece they paid you to do? Why wasn't that state prosecutor exposed in your expose on judges after she took $5000 from you if it was indeed part of the investigation process

Supposing you pretended to be one with the suspects so that you get the truth from them, which is acceptable, why on earth did you proceed to strike a deal with the state prosecutor to get in the way of justice?

In the video, you seem to have benefited financially from both the victim and the culprit. And this is video. I keep saying 'this is video' because I expect you to know more about the impact of audio visual evidence than perhaps every Ghanaian.

Maybe we are missing an important piece that might vindicate you. This is why you have a moral duty to respond to the issue. I followed all your interviews yesterday with the hope that you will explain what happened to worried people like my good self who think the quality and acceptability of your work thrives largely on your reputation and that once that is dented, the work loses its impact.

Interestingly though, that wasn't dealt with. I am a journalist with a decade of experience, no interviewer in this world, regardless of the prior arrangement on areas of interview wouldn't want a little drift into such a trending issue about the interviewee, you clearly made a prior arrangement that it shouldn't be on the card. Also, you seemed to be focussing on dealing with issues emotionally and that to me is qi=uite untypical of you. Talks about attacks, threats on your life and efforts to make you lose focus all kind of sort for sympathy than a critical look at the issues. All the interviews in my estimation did fall considerably short of my expectations because it was just meant to sort of present you as a victim because of your good deed to society and you know it has no place in intellectual discourse.

That said Anas, I saw the thousands of people who despite the fact that WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMAN was shown live on TV still opted to move all the way to the forecourt of Kencity Building to watch it. I know the reaction of majority of those who were there and I could see the disappointment of those who went there with open mind to uncover the truth.

I have followed reaction on social media and clearly, some people are confused and worried about the outcome. This is because you have become like an answer to a problem that is tearing our nation apart and therefore if you are presented as same, then giving up on Ghana or being indifferent about corruption in Ghana is the safest option.

Mr Anas, it'd be super-duper irresponsible on your part to ignore Ghanaians quest for clarification on Ken's piece on you. It maybe your own recording put together but it is right to say you have been implicated until you give us better particulars.

You have found many people guilty with your work in the court of public opinion, don't only refer your accusers to the court: pay some attention to public opinion too because that has contributed to your success than perhaps the court of law itself.

Indeed Anas, I have a problem with some of the methods you use, emphasis on some because you have used many different methods which are ethical.

However, I don't for ones want to think of you as a corrupt person who blackmails people and carefully picks his victims, and takes money to free the highest bidders. Maybe, my sentiment is based on misinformation but until you correct the misconception, the lie will become the truth and you won't be the Anas that kid wants to be any longer.

Thanks for your time!