Communication on foiled coup attempt inadequate, poor – Bureau of Public Safety

The Bureau of Public Safety has rejected government communication on a purported foiled attempt to destabilize the country.

In a statement released by the Bureau said: "The (Security) communication is poor and does not assure public safety as more questions remain unanswered.”

The government through the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Monday issued a statement detailing how a joint security operation of personnel drawn from Defence Intelligence, CID and Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), conducted a successful operation which led to the arrest of three persons and the retrieval of several arms, explosive devices and ammunition from locations in Accra and Bawaleshie near Dodowa.

The joint operation was to neutralize an elaborate plot targeted at the Presidency, and with the ultimate aim of destabilizing the country. The arrest and seizure come after fifteen (15) months of surveillance and gathering of evidence on the activities of the prime suspects and others.

The persons arrested are Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm and his two accomplices – Mr. Ezor Kafui (a local weapon manufacturer) and Mr. Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu (aka BB or ADC).

The following items were retrieved as part of the operation: 5 x locally manufactured pistols with magazines fitted on, 1 x foreign pistol (Reg. No. PX154006) with 2 Xmagazines, 3 x locally manufactured pistol barrels, 3 x smoke grenades, 22 x Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 9 x 7.62mm NATO AK47 rounds, 2 x AK47 magazines, 1 x long Knife and 63 x 9mm NATO rounds.

Below is the full statement

THE MORE CITIZENS KNOW THE BETTER: FOILED ATTEMPT TO CREATE INSTABILITY

The Bureau of Public Safety commends State Security Agencies for surveilling, retrieving arms and ammunitions and thus arresting some suspected culprits behind the manufacture and stacking of arms.

The need for security agencies to clamp down on the proliferation of arms in Ghana cannot be overemphasized and thus must be an ongoing concern to assure public safety and security.

However, the Bureau of Public Safety rejects government communication on a foiled attempt to destabilize the country.

The (Security) communication is poor and does not assure public safety as more questions remain unanswered.

We urge the State security managers and political authority to collaborate responsibly on sensitive matters such as these in future.