Swedru Chief Crosses Sword With Police Boss
The Central Regional Police Commander, DCOP Stephen Andoh Kwofie, has been exposed by the chief of Agona Swedru, Nana Ogidigram Okrupi Asiedu Botwe II, for allegedly making false statements about him to the effect that he asked for 24-hour police protection.
DCOP Andoh Kwofie was also chastised by the chief for saying that he used his position as chief of the area to persuade the Agona Swedru Police Command to grant bail to criminals whenever they were arrested in the area.
Nana Botwe, who described the commander's statement as misinformation, challenged the police to arrest him for aiding and abetting criminals as they claimed they would do if the chief did not come out to tell the police where criminals in the area were hiding.
He stated that he had already given names of the said criminals to the police to arrest them but nothing had been done
Nana Botwe however warned that if the police pushed him to the wall, he would expose their 'dirty and nefarious activities' for Ghanaians to see what they were really up to in the area.
The chief also expressed regret about allegations made by the acting Agona Swedru Divisional Police Commander, ACP Owusu Donyinah, that he, together with his followers, stormed the police station and ordered the immediate release of some criminals who vandalised a recreational center.
Nana Botwe challenged ACP Donyinah to provide evidence to that effect or else he would let him face the music for tarnishing his hard won reputation.
Nana Botwe disclosed this at a press conference on Thursday at his palace at Agona Swedru in reaction to a publication by DAILY GUIDE with the headline 'Police Chief Mad At Swedru Chief'.
Addressing the press, he revealed that since he became chief of the area, he had never asked for any police protection for his residence.
He indicated that the malicious lie was a ploy by the police to make him shut up but promised to be a crusader to weed out all criminals who embarked on criminals activities in the area with the help of the police.
He noted that his main aim was to help eliminate wee smokers and drug dealers who had totally invaded the area, adding that he would not stop until he achieved that goal.
The chief claimed that he had brought to the notice of the police 19 wee and cocaine gurus, as well as identified the selling centres of these drugs, for the police to arrest them but they totally refused.
He therefore challenged the police to line up their personnel on an identification parade for the traditional council and residents in the area to identify those who had been conniving with criminals to rob the area.
Nana Botwe suggested that the police commander should allow them to introduce native authority, the traditional council's own way of policing, to arrest the criminals if the police were not ready to enforce the laws.
Nana Botwe categorically stated that the police in the area had made Agona Swedru their cocoa harvesting ground where they duped residents for their own benefit without carrying out the duties they had been assigned to do.
It will be recalled that DAILY GUIDE, in its Thursday, August 23, 2012 edition, published a story headlined 'Police Chief Mad At Swedru Chief' in which DCOP Andoh Kwofie expressed worry about how Nana Botwe resorted to the use of media platforms to tarnish the hard won reputation of the police and public officers in the region.
According to the police, Nana Botwe's allegation that the police in the area had connived with criminals and increased crime rate in the area, thus the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Paul Tawiah Quaye should transfer all police personnel from the area, was not true.
From: Desmond K. Dapaah, Agona Swedru