Police Detective Resigns After Being Labeled Armed Robber

The two times best Ashanti Regional Criminal Investigative Officer of the Ghana Police Service has resigned over an alleged assassination attempt on his life, The Chronicle has gathered.

He has abandoned the black uniform after ten years of dedicated service to the Ghana Police Service.

In a three-page letter of resignation dated August 1, 2018 and addressed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, which has been sighted by The Chronicle, Detective Corporal Cephas Bayor Kanyiri accused ACP/Dr. Gariba, National Director of Operations, of tagging him as an armed robber, and that he (Cephas) has been hiring his pistol to armed robbers.

D/Cpl Bayor, who bore service number 45409, stated that he has been “betrayed and labelled as an armed robber.”

The embattled officer explained that on June 6, 2018, his household at McCarthy Hill, in Accra, was attacked by three alleged armed robbers, who fired three shots at him and took away his service pistol, handcuffs, cash sums of $1,105 and GH¢1,620, one laptop, and a mobile phone, among others and bolted with the booty.

He said in spite of the attack, ACP/Dr. Gariba called him an armed robber and also accused him of hiring his pistol to armed robbers, even though the suspects, Emmanuel Owusu alias Collins and Gibson Dompreh alias “money”, when apprehended by the CID/Anti Armed Robbery Unit (AARU), confessed to the crime and named one Ahsima as their accomplice.

D/Cpl Bayor continued in his letter that despite the fact that the investigator, D/Cpl. Richmond Osei, went all out and retrieved the pistol, one laptop and the Samsung mobile phone, “ACP/Dr. Gariba was not satisfied with the capturing of these suspects, so he indicted me in the case and went ahead to institute a probe to achieve his aim.”

The aggrieved detective indicated that the interest of ACP/Dr. Gariba is highly suspicious. To him, the attack was a plot to kill him. Backing his claims, the letter noted that a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) at the Agbogbloshie Police Station, G/Cpl. Hayford Osae, willfully released suspect Gibson Dompreh, a barracks boy, without reason.

D/Cpl Bayor indicated that he can no longer effectively perform his duties in an environment of witch hunting.

The letter of resignation, which was also copied to the Superintendent of AARU, and the Director General of CID, said: “It is with deep regret that I submit my notice of premature retirement from the Ghana Police Service. I hope you take the time to read this entire letter. I want to offer some context to my premature retirement. Sir, as you are aware, I am on a 126-day leave since July 26, 2018, and I have taken the decision to retire at the end of my leave so that I can spend the early years of my life on a more promising career.”

Cephas Kanyiri Bayor was enlisted into the service in 2008 as a Constable and posted to Suntreso District in the Ashanti Region, where he became an aide to the CID in 2009.

He also worked as an undercover detective for the region and the Police Service for many years.