Opinions of Saturday, 17 April 2010
Columnist: Sarpong, Justice
Sarpong, Justice
"The families of the people abducted were obviously gravely concerned for the safety of their love ones. Our worry was based on the fact that this country has experienced a period in our history when a traditional leader from the Eastern Region was abducted by state security agents and has been missing since. We were also concerned because similar exercise involving state security operatives led to the abduction and killings of three prominent members of the judiciary."
I read the above statement from the Press Conference held by the Abudu gate on April 15th, 2010 concerning the 'kidnapping' of its family members by the security service of the republic of Ghana. It brought to memory the sad disappearance of Benjamin Brako Bismark, a business tycoon who also was the chief of Aburi in the Eastern Region under the stool name, Nana Osae Ntifo Ababio. Under the murderous rule of Murderer Rawlings for nineteen years, hundreds, if not thousands of people disappeared and B.B Bismark was one of those unfortunate victims who met their untimely death at the hands of Rawlings marauding goons with Amedeka as the chief Executioner. Forumers might be wondering who is B.B Bisnark and what is so important about him.
All the executed and missing Rawlings victims are important but B.B Bismark story is unique. He was a self-made man with a string of businesses that employed scores of Ghanaians. He was also a Sports aficianado and was one time the team manager of the National team, the Black Stars of Ghana. He was arrested somewhere in 1982 by military Personal and taken to Gonda Barracks. What was B.B Bismarks' crime, one may ask. According to Rawlings and his thugs at that time, his crimes were that, he owns businesses, cars and houses too many for one person and happened to know General Akuffo since B.B Bismark was also the Adontehene of the Akuapim Traditional Area where General Akuffo was a citizen.
According to some eyewitnesses who shared a cell with B.B Bismark at the Gonda Barracks including Henry Djaba, B.B Bismark was given an 'identification haircut' popularized by Rawlings goons mostly from his Sogakope village and he was brutalized by these goons for many days. Family members were not aware of his whereabouts and never saw him again from the day he was picked up by Rawling killing field goons. There has not been any sighting of this Royal from Aburi and it is believed he was one those who was put in a helicopter and dropped into the ocean to be feasted on by sharks as Rawlings was known to do at the time and many of his victims if you were not burnt, were likely to have been dropped into the ocean. SO FLT. LIEUT. RAWLINGS, WHERE IS B.B BISMARK?
It is very hypocrtical, extremely callous and sophistic on Rawlings part to prevaricate his malarky's on Ghanaians about Mobilla and Ya Na when he presided over the most darkest time in the history of our country when people were killed on flimsy excuses as he gave about why he murdered Yeyeboy, the only murder he has owned up to.
"The former President and founder of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), after nearly three decades of silence, was virtually compelled to blow off the lid at a press conference in his Ridge residence last week Thursday. With no sense of remorse whatsoever, Mr Rawlings, an apostle of fetishism, boastfully said Yeye Boy in particular, was killed to send a strong message to fetish priests that juju was a sham. According to Mr. Rawlings, the execution of the jujumen, who were suspects of ritual murder in their communities, was to let the people know that there was no salvation in juju."
How can any human being kill another person to prove a point as Rawlings admitted in doing just on mere suspicion? He was the Judge and the Executioner without any court convicting Yeyeboy, he signed his excution certificate. My appeal is to the family members of Rawlings victims to form a group and start agitating for the prosecution and conviction of this mass murderer who should be sitting with Charles Taylor of Liberia and other mass murderers of this world. Rawlings should be hauled to the Hague to answer for charges of human right abuses and mass murder of some citizens of Ghana.
Justice Sarpong
Houston, Texas