Emile Short C’ssion: Security chiefs were uncoordinated – Adam Bonaa
There were contradictions and lack of coordination between the national security chiefs that appeared before the Commission of Inquiry investigating the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, security analyst Adam Bona has said.
The analyst told Citi News that he felt the testimonies by the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery; the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah, and the Minister of state in charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong were incoherent.
This, for Mr. Bona, paints a worrying picture of Ghana’s National Security hierarchy after the confusion in which over ten persons were injured by the security personnel deployed to the area.
The three were the first persons to testify when the Commission of Inquiry held its first public hearing on Thursday, at the Christiansborg castle at Osu in Accra.
“They probably didn’t coordinate with each other. They didn’t talk among themselves even before coming to talk to the commission. All along some of us had raise issues like that. It was clear it was an ‘each one for himself’ kind of attitude,” Mr. Bona said.
I view of this, he suggested the president realign the portfolios of these security establishments to avoid a blame game developing.
“From what the Kan Dapaah said, Bryan doesn’t take instructions from him. How can this be if this person is supposed to be your deputy?”
“Somehow, even if it is 10 percent he doesn’t take 10 percent of his instructions from the boss. It means that there is a serious problem especially when you are supposed to be in charge of National security.”
The testimony of the three ministers outlined the role of the security personnel during the by-election, amid accusations that the violence that occurred at Ayawaso was state-sponsored vigilantism.
Among the highlights from the sitting, the National Security Minister disclosed that officials of the National Security SWAT team could have included former members of vigilante groups, calling into question the nature of recruitment into the security service.
Bryan Acheampong also insisted that armed security operatives seen in khaki and masks did not misconduct themselves in their handling of the situation during the by-election despite footages showing them brutalising unarmed citizens.
The heavily armed masked men were however not part of any police operation, according to Ambrose Dery.
…I first saw on TV, some persons dressed in khaki and some of them wearing masks and armed… and when I got the video, I forwarded it to the Police and he said these are not part of my men. I later got information that an officer of national security had said that they were national security operatives,” he said in his testimony.
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Source: citinewroom