President Akufo Addo has interdicted “with immediate effect” the Director of Emergency Command Centre (ECC) who basically supervises the party hoodlums that had been drafted into the National Security Agency.
The President’s frantic statement was compelled to be issued when it became apparent that soldiers from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) were seething with anger over the brutal beating of one of their colleagues in uniform by Gerald Nana Osei-Tutu.
Osei-Tutu is also known as the commander responsible for the party-militia masking as National Security personnel who unleashed brutality on unarmed civilians during the by-election at the Ayawaso-West Wuogon Constituency some two years ago.
The trigger-happy Osei-Tutu reportedly ordered his “boys” to beat up a soldier on the Tema-Akosombo highway last week, and bundled the soldier into a waiting vehicle in handcuffs, for simply not giving their siren blaring convoy way fast enough.
In what has sent shockwaves through the government and military hierarchy, President Akufo Addo, today (December 1, 2020) released a statement ordering the interdiction of the ECC boss. This statement came after speculations started emerging that soldiers who participated in the Special Voting phase today were expressing their consternation by voting against the governing NPP
“The President of the Republic and the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has learnt with dismay reports of an attack on a soldier by an official of the Bureau of National Communications of the National Security Council Secretariat, Gerald Nana Osei-Tutu. Upon the President’s instructions, the Ministry responsible for the National Security, has interdicted, with immediate effect, the said Mr. Nana Osei-Tutu and has commenced a full investigation into the incident,” the President’s statement read.
The statement conveniently avoided stating the designation of the interdicted officer in what appears to be an attempt to water down the seriousness of the brewing rift between the military ranks and the party hoodlums drafted into the security services.
A video capturing the manhandling of a military officer, WO1 Mahud Salia, by a group of Invisible Forces goons drafted into National Security has emerged on social media last week.
The video captures the goons, in the khaki trousers and black tops, the same uniform used by them during the Ayawaso West Wuogon gun violence, slapping about the officer in his car in traffic, before handcuffing him and shoving him into a car.
WO1 Mashud’s vehicle was abandoned after the goons had dragged him away like a criminal.
The NPP party goons were said to be accompanying a convoy of four vehicles exporting a Minister of State. The convoy had had sirens blaring so that other motorists using the road at the time would give way. WO1 Salia who was also on the road, could however not give way quickly due to the strictures of the traffic situation at the time.
In response, one of the vehicles in the convoy crossed his vehicle and four of the party goons in the khaki trousers and black shirts alighted, headed straight for the officer’s car and started slapping him about even while he was behind the steering wheel.
After they had beaten the soldier for a while, they dragged him out of the vehicle and handcuffed him and drove him to Michelle Camp.
It has since emerged that the attack on the officer, has infuriated soldiers at the barracks, particularly because they have noticed the gradual infiltration of partisan footsoldiers in their ranks.
The soldiers’ anger at the treatment of their colleague has sent shivers down the spine of the Akufo-Addo government which sent emissaries to the soldiers to beg them to forgive and forget, Whatsup News gathered.
On the morning of Saturday, November 28, 2020, an emergency durbar was held at Michelle Camp with Deputy National Security Minister, Henry Quartey and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Thomas Oppong-Pepprah, attending to assuage anger.
This is not the first time a member of the security force has been manhandled by NPP goons. In 2017, ASP Nanka Bruce, who was on assignment at the seat of government, Jubilee House, was attacked and beaten up by a mob of NPP goons belonging to the so-called Invisible Forces.