About six heavily armed police officers on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 stormed a press conference being addressed by a Pro-NPP group calling itself ‘Movement for Bawumia’ and stopped it midway.
The press conference was reportedly scheduled for 12 noon, but according to Accra-based Starr FM, whose correspondent was at the event, the armed men in police-branded Toyota Tundra stormed the venue to stop the event.
The security personnel would claim they had intelligence that some rival group was planning to attack the event in what is exposing deep-seated problems within the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Incidentally, the press conference was purposed to address the burning of illegal mining excavators as part of Operation Halt.
The group claims they wanted to provide an alternative means of addressing the controversial destruction of equioment of powerful people mining illegally (Galamsey).
Apparently, some top executives of the NPP have been affected as their illegal mines have been destroyed by soldiers in Operation Halt.
For instance, the NPP Women Organiser, Kate Gyamfuah was caught in the net operating an illegal mine. Almost a dozen of her excavators were set ablaze.
According to the report, the armed men together were locked in a meeting with the organizers of the presser for over one hour, after which the organisers were driven to the Ashanti Regional Police Command for an unknown reason.
Later, while briefing the media on the suspension of the presser, the Ashanti Regional Coordinator for the group, Duncan Poku Boateng confirmed that the police raid was to avert a planned attack on the group.
“Our intention for this press conference was to speak on some national issues and also thank Dr. Kwaku Oteng for suspending Captain Smart. His attacks on the NPP government and our respected leaders were unfortunate. I don’t really know why the police and the national security will come in to stop us. I have been told to report to the regional deputy commander which I will do after speaking to you,” Boateng said.