IGP Dampare Under Fire For Attacking British High Commission -For Questioning Police Brutality

The public is calling for the head of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo- Dampare for writing an absolutely undiplomatic letter to the High Commissioner of Britain to Ghana, H.E. Harriet Thompson, who tweeted her concern about how youth activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor was being hounded by the Akufo Addo administration.

Joining the fray is the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) which has issued a statement calling out the IGP for goofing with his attack letter.

IGP Dampare lashed out at the British diplomat saying she was being meddlesome in the internal affairs of Ghana by merely expressing interest in the arrest of Mr. Barker-Vormawor who has been illegally targetted by the Akufo Addo administration and its lackeys at the Police Administration.

“The IGP’s rather ill-advised attack on the British High Commissioner for being meddlesome in Ghana’s internal affairs appears rather far-fetched, particularly considering the significant fact that the activist of interest is a student in the UK, and that matters of human rights are universal and cardinal,” the NDC fired.

“In any case, international relations of the modern era create great accommodation for peer review—this has been on exhibition in recent times when the Ghanaian President criticized western nations including the UK in his 2021 UN address for apparently using COVID-19 vaccination policies as a discriminatory immigration tool against Africans,” a statement signed by General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia said.

In what has been described as a strange letter, IGP Dampare went behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and responded to the diplomat who had tweeted that the second time arrest of Barker-Vormawor for supposed road traffic infringement was something whose end she would be interested to see.

“Oliver Barker-Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry movement, arrested again, I understand [it’s] for a motoring offence [and he’s currently] on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes…” H.E. Hrriet Thompson had tweeted.

In response to this, the police chief wrote a tall letter expressing unhappiness about the diplomat’s tweet and accusing her of meddling in the affairs of Ghana.

Dampare even accused the British High Commissioner of breaching the Vienna Convention.

“..we consider you tweet violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host countries. Your Excellency, the fact that you use the ‘arrested again’ we believe must mean you were making reference to previous occasions Mr. Barker Vormwaor was arrested for threatening the security of the state and recently for motor traffic offences,” parts of the letter from the Ghana Police Service reads.

In an even more insolent, salty tone, the letter quizzed, “Should you get involved in the domestic/internal affairs, especially security issues of the sovereign state in which you are serving as a diplomat,”

In response, the NDC warned that Dampare’s impulsive behaviour could strain longstanding diplomatic relations with Britain and that even if he had issues with the tweet, he could have had it addressed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement noted that the accusation by Dampare is baseless because officials of the Ghana government, including president Akufo-Addo, do speak about ills in other countries, including criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine without anybody accusing them of meddlesomeness.

“He must also be reminded that he does not speak for the Ghana Armed Forces or the Government of Ghana.”

“We request IGP Akuffo Dampare to rather focus his attention on the worsening security environment which has led to the gruesome loss of life of a lawyer, gold dealers in Asamang Tamfoe, and many other victims of unresolved police brutalities from the 2020 election killings to Ejura, Tamale, Akatsi, Asawase and Nkoranza,” the statement said.

It called on Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to immediately intervene in offering diplomatic guidance to the IGP and also taking concrete steps to ease tensions.

 Meanwhile, Civil Society Organization Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) is demanding that Inspector General of Police, George Akuffo-Dampare, apologize for a letter he wrote attacking the British High Commissioner to Ghana over the diplomat’s tweet in regards to the arrest of social activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor.

In a statement signed by Executive Director, Mensah Thompson, ASEPA said Dampare’s letter was a “misguided uproar” that blasts in the face of all diplomatic courtesies.

“We, therefore, call on the IGP to withdraw that misguided statement and apologize not only to the British high commissioner but also to the British government the British high commission and all its staff for this reckless display of contempt towards their diplomat,” the statement said.