Edumadze threatens BNI officer

The Central regional minister, Isaac Edumadze is said to have led three men to invade the house of a BNI officer and threatened the man that if he did not leave the Ajumako Enyan district he will 'burn' him.

The rationale being that the BNI officer had not been working in the interest of the minister in the district.

According to the Chronicle the officer, fearing for his dear life, fled to seek refuge in the home of a friend, who then called an associate of The Chronicle in the Western Region to inform him about the minister's threat. Mr. Edumadze denied going to the BNI officer's house when was contacted on phone.

'I don't even know his house,' he said.

In a related development, it was gathered that the Local Government Minister had written to the Central regional minister to see to it that Nana Ato Arthur, his deputy and acting DCE, hands over to the new DCE for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, (name withheld), but he had not done so yet.

Nana Arthur was asked to act as the DCE for the district, following the impasse that accompanied the confirmation hearing in the Assembly early this year.

He is said to be awaiting orders from Mr. Edumadze before he could act.

The new DCE, who took part in the recent orientation course for DCEs in Accra, is sitting at home, frustrated at not being given the authority to take up his office.

Nana Ato Arthur when contacted confirmed that they had received a letter from the Local Government minister, instructing him to hand over the office to the new DCE.

He admitted that he was awaiting Mr. Edumadze's approval, saying that as soon as that was done he would hand over to the new DCE.

According to him, he had instructed the Coordinating Director to give access to the office to the DCE, and to the best of his knowledge, the DCE had been going to the office, though 'he is yet to sign cheques' and other papers, as the substantive DCE.