Asiedu Nketia accuses IGP for 'supervising killings' during election day

The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has furiously slammed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) James Oppong Boanuh for looking on unashamedly, while uniformed security officers shot, maimed and killed innocent Ghanaians during and after last Monday, December 7, 2020 polls.

The NDC scribe is outraged that, the IGP's men and other security personnel, including soldiers, perpetuated such atrocities on unarmed Ghanaians, but will turn round to engage him over a flimsy issue such as the seizure of a police barricade by alleged NDC supporters at the party's headquarters.

Addressing journalists yesterday, Thursday, December 10, 2020, at the party's Adabraka headquarters in Accra, Mr Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as "General Mosquito", took a strong exception to the indiscriminate shooting of nine supporters of the party, three of whom have died and eight others in critical condition in the Bono West Region.

Two others died in the Greater Accra Region (Odododiodio) and Central Region (Awutu Senya East) on the day of the disputed elections. A journalist is also said to be in critical condition, following gun wounds he received.

He said, the IGP, had called him to complain about the seizure of the barricade and wanting to send his men to the NDC headquarters to retrieve it, but he questioned the whereabouts of the IGP who has suddenly found his voice when uniformed military and policemen, were aiming and shooting Ghanaians in places such as Ablekuma Central in the Greater Accra Region and Techiman in the Bono East Region?

He demanded to know what Mr Oppong Boanuh, had done after the unfortunate incident, some of which were carried by bearded policemen in uniform. To him, this is a surprise to him.

He said "Bearded policemen have been set loose at Techiman shooting sporadically and aimlessly as if to declare municipality a war zone. We want to send a strong signal to Nana Akufo-Addo that these things can't be happening on the blind side of Nana Akufo-Addo and his IGP.

When they were shooting nine people in Techiman who are our supporters, have you forgotten that I was the General Secretary of NDC? What has he done about it? Ablekuma Central, when all these things were happening what was he doing?"

General Mosquito, said the IGP, in that period of the election, acted as though he was a leader of a vigilante group, rather than a professionally trained police officer that he was known for.

The peeved General Secretary of the NDC, said Mr Oppong Boanuh, who incidentally comes from the same region as him, has confused his role as a professional police officer torn between his stomach or his conscience, pondering which one to control him.

He regretted that the IGP, who comes from the Dormaa area in the previously Bono Ahafo Region, will look on, while his own people are attacked and slaughtered in such a callous manner.

According to the NDC General Secretary, the IGP acted like a leader of a vigilante of a political party, adding their home region was not proud of him as one of their own.

"And I said – to- that I don't believe that you are the IGP, you are sounding like a vigilante leader of a political party and that, we the people of Bono Ahafo are ashamed of you because most of the killings are happening right in your backyard and you have decided to abandon your profession as a security person.

You have forgotten about the crown you are wearing and you are confused about whether to follow your conscience or follow your stomach. So, he hung up and never called me again. I tried calling him this morning when another death had occurred, but he did not pick".

The lamentation of the General Secretary, comes on the back of a call the IGP placed to him over a police barricade that was allegedly seized by angry NDC supporters at their headquarters at a time they were protesting against the delay in the release of the result of the Monday elections organized by the Electoral Commission (EC).

But Mr Asiedu Nketia, who had reservations of how the security agencies have acted throughout the electioneering period, told journalists since the call wasn't a video call, he could not tell he was indeed, speaking to the IGP himself.

"Let me tell you, yesterday do you know who called me? The Inspector-General of Police IGP, James Oppong Boanuh called me.

When I asked why was he calling me, he said he was calling because he has noticed that some people he claimed to be supporters of NDC, have removed a barricade belonging to the Ghana Police and have taken it to the NDC headquarters and so he is calling me and insisting on the right of the police to enter our headquarters to retrieve a barricade, metal barricade.

And I said, since this is not a video call, I don't believe that you are the Oppong Boanuh IGP you claim to be because, I knew Oppong Boanuh to be a professional security man not the type of politician, who is speaking to me and that since when did he discover that suddenly I am the General Secretary of NDC?"

The NDC, has been unimpressed with the result of December 7 elections where President Akufo-Addo, was announced as the eventual winner after the party detected several irregularities even before the final declaration by the chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa.

The party is questioning the basis upon which the EC announced the result, when it knew they had genuine concerns and had petitioned the electoral body for resolution.

Meanwhile, the opposition party, has refrained from stating categorically whether or not it will go to court for redress, but in a related development, the EC has finally declared the party's parliamentary candidates for Upper Denkyira West and Savelugu constituencies in the Central and Northern Regions respectively, as winners of that election.

The Upper Denkyira West Member of Parliament (MP) elect, a lawyer, Ohene Darko was declared, yesterday after earlier attempts by the NPP, to have the result declared in their favour.

It brings to 13, the number of seats the NDC won in the Central Region, while the national stands at 137.

The Northern Regional Directorate of the EC declared Abdul Jacob Iddrisu, who pulled 19, 577 votes to beat his contender, Muhammed Abdul- Samed Gunu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who polled 19. 478 votes.

There are other disputed ones like the Techiman South, Sefwi Wiawso, Tarkwa Nsuam and Sene West.