Leaked IGP tape: 9 shocking revelations made by COP Mensah, Supt. Asare
Two senior police officers implicated in the alleged ‘IGP leaked tape’ have made some revelations that have stirred controversy in the country.
The two, COP George Alex Mensah and Superintendent Goerge Asare, appeared before the ad-hoc parliamentary committee tasked to probe the matter after being cited in the leaked tape recorded by Daniel Bugri Naabu, a former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
They were captured in a conversation ostensibly plotting to remove the current IGP before the 2024 general elections.
Appearing before the committee probing the issue, COP Mensah and Supt. Asare made these shocking revelations, which have gotten Ghanaians talking.
1. IGP Dampare has gagged police officers; even the PR unit can’t talk – COP Mensah
The former Director-General of Operations for the Ghana Police Service, COP George Alex Mensah, disclosed that the current Inspector General of Police, George Akuffo Dampare, is not allowing police officers to express their displeasure about how he’s managing the institution.
According to him, Dr Dampare does not even allow the Public Affairs Directorate of the police to discharge its duties as expected.
“As I have said earlier, the current IGP is not managing the service well because now he has shut the mouth of every police officer, including the Public Affairs Director,” he said.
2. IGP has always been talking to Mahama – COP Alex Mensah
Appearing before the ad-hoc parliamentary committee, COP Mensah alleged that the IGP Dampare is always in contact with former President John Mahama.
He said he knew about this based on his intelligence.
However, he did not say the sort of conversation the two have been having.
“Yes, I said it,” he confirmed after a portion of the transcribed leaked tape was read to him on Friday, September 1.
“Mr. Chair, my intelligence shows that he does it,” he maintained after the Vice Chair, James Agalga, put it to him that he had no information and the allegation was based on a figment of his imagination.
Vice Chair: So the IGP is always talking to former President Mahama? You know that for a fact?
COP Alex Mensah: That is from my intelligence.
He, however, failed to share the intelligence with the committee.
3. Dampare is the worst IGP ever- COP A lex Mensah
COP Alex Mensah disclosed that his boss, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, was the worst IGP the country has ever had.
According to him, with the current IGP at the helm of affairs of the police administration, the service is headed in the wrong direction.
“Honourable member and honourable chair, what I said yesterday, if you give me the opportunity today, I will say it again. For me, for the 31 years I have been in the service, he [Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr George Akuffo-Dampare] is the worst IGP ever,” he said on Friday, September 1, 2023.
It was a repeat of several comments he made against IGP Dampare when he appeared on the previous day before the same committee.
4. Police Promotions from 2008 to 2016 were based on political affiliations- COP Mensah
The senior police officer also alleged that promotions in the police from 2008 to 2016 were based on political affiliations.
According to COP Mensah, he was due for promotion but was not promoted for nine years until 2017 due to his political party affiliation.
He admitted that although he is not a card-bearing member of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), he is a sympathiser, and he believes that was why he was not promoted during the erstwhile National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) administration.
“I was in the same rank for nine years while my juniors were promoted to become commissioners,” he said.
COP Mensah alleged that the officers promoted during the NDC government’s tenure, including the IGP, are sympathisers of the NDC party.
5. Ghana police divided into NDC and NPP- COP Mensah
COP Alex Mensah revealed that some police officers have affiliations with either the New Patriotic Party or the National Democratic Congress.
When asked if some police officers are affiliated with some political parties, he said, “Mr Chairman, I will not be a hypocrite; we have it. We have some of our people who resigned within two weeks and contested for MPs when they were supposed to have been card-bearing members for five years.”
6. IGP Dampare masterminded the recording and leaked the tape – COP Mensah
After alleging that the leaked tape was doctored, COP Mensah claimed that the IGP was behind the recording and circulation of a private conversation he [COP Mensah] had with former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu.
He firmly believes that the IGP, Dr George Dampare, was behind the recording and how it got into the public domain.
“Mr. Chairman, my intel suggests that what was used to tape the conversation was done by the current IGP. He sent some people to do it, after which he went for it. So, the tape, from my intel, is with the IGP, and he caused it to be leaked,” he said on the second day he faced the committee on Friday, September 1, 2023.
According to COP Mensah, if the committee was interested in the source of the original recordings, “the right person to call before this committee is the Inspector General of Police”.
7. I am a sympathiser of the NPP – COP Mensah
COP Alex Mensah openly disclosed that he is a sympathiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
In a series of questions posed by the Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, Eric Opoku, concerning specific statements the Commissioner made in the leaked audio tape suggesting his affiliation to the NPP, COP Mensah stated emphatically that his entire family has been faithful to the United Party (UP) tradition from which the NPP emerged.
“Mr. Chairman, my family has been with the UP tradition ever since I was born, and we’ve remained there till now,” he said.
However, he told the committee that he was not a card-bearing member of the NPP.
8. Bugri Naabu recommended mallams to fight Dampare spiritually – Supt. Asare
Superintendent George Asare, the third witness in the alleged ‘leaked IGP tape’, also made a damning revelation about the former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu.
He hinted that Bugri Naabu recommended using mallams to help them remove the IGP.
He made the claims when he appeared before the parliamentary committee probing the issue on Monday, September 4, stating that Chief Naabu recommended three mallams.
Supt. Asare further claimed that Bugri Naabu suggested they fight the IGP physically and spiritually.
“It was Chief Bugri Naabu who invited me to his office. I wasn’t lobbying for anybody. Chief Bugri Naabu made an emphatic statement about this thing. I want to quote him verbatim, but it will be difficult. All that he was trying to say was that this thing, we have to fight it, both physically and spiritually. And then, he gave examples of people that he helped them fight for the positions spiritually. It was a private conversation, I don’t want to make it public here. But the spiritual one, he went further to show us which places he can go. So it was on the premise of this that I made the statement that Alhaji, this one, you are the spiritual controller. Because you [Bugri Naabu] made us understand that I didn’t even know that, when you are fighting for a position, you have to fight it in two ways, both spiritually and physically.”
He stressed, “I said that as for Master [COP George Alex Mensah], I don’t think he will buy into this idea of fighting this spiritually because he’s a Christian. He [Bugri Naabu] mentioned some Imams that can help pray for him [COP Alex Mensah]. Some Imams can help him with prayers. Chief Bugri Naabu insisted that he has to also see some Mallams. He recommended about three, some in the North and some from his village. It was Chief Bugri Naabu himself who came forth with that suggestion,” Supt. Asare insisted.
9. ASP Asante assisted Bugri Naabu to record the leaked tape – Supt Asare
An Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), named only as Asante, has allegedly assisted Daniel Bugri Naabu in recording a conversation between Mr Naabu and two senior police officers.
Superintendent George Asare mentioned the name of Asante when he appeared before the Parliamentary committee probing the tape and the discussions captured on it.
According to him, his intelligence gathering exposed that ASP Asante was the one who did the recording.
He said, coincidentally, when the tape was leaked, and Bugri Naabu called him [Asare] on the telephone, he mentioned the name Asante and questioned why he leaked the tape, seemingly unknowing that he had rather called Asare.