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| IGP issues seven-day ultimatum |
6/18/2007 |
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The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, has given a seven-day ultimatum to the Central Disciplinary Board of the Service to complete disciplinary proceedings against nine policemen suspected of dealing in drugs.
The nine policemen from the Accra Regional and the La Police stations deserted their posts and deployed service facilities like weapons and uniforms to accompany suspected drug barons to the Western Region in search of cocaine which had been washed ashore.
The acting Director of the Police Public Relations Directorate, DSP Kwasi Ofori, who made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra on Sunday, said the conduct of the nine policemen was prejudicial to the good order and discipline of the Service.
The nine were immediately interdicted following their arrest and a team of investigators, led by the Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, was dispatched to the Western Region to investigate the incident and report to the administration.
He said the nine were arraigned before the District Magistrate''s Court in Sekondi soon after their arrest and were remanded into custody to re-appear on a later date.
Mr Ofori said they were later discharged and brought to Accra, where a service enquiry was instituted, while the criminal charges against them were still pending at the court.
Each of the accused persons has been granted bail in the sum of 500 million cedis with a surety.
He said in the course of the investigations, the premises of the suspects and the drug barons were searched but nothing incriminating was found.
He said further investigations were conducted at the various stations where the affected policemen were stationed and it was detected that L/Cpl Sakabito was the exhibit storekeeper and that he was absent from duty on the morning prior to his arrest.
The acting director said L/Cpl Daniel Kagya, who was stationed at the Accra Central Police Station, collected an AK 47 rifle for duty at the Prudential Bank, Accra on May 30, 2007, failed to return the rifle but travelled with it to Half Assini.
He said the nine suspects, in their caution statements, denied dealing in narcotics but admitted having left their various stations without permission.
The nine police officers and six civilians were busted in the Western Region on suspicion of attempting to retrieve parcels of cocaine which had been washed ashore near Axim and Half Assini.
The policemen are G/Constable Cudjoe Mensah, L/Cpl Gideon Sakabito and G/Constable Dennis Agyeman, all of the La Police Station in Accra, where Constable Agyeman is the Armourer; G/Cpl George Obuobi of the Darkuman Police Station and G/L/Cpl Ebenezer Quao Afatsao of the Armoured Car Squadron but currently attached to the VVIPU at the Castle, Osu.
The others are L/Cpl Ben Somuah of the Armoured Car Squadron but currently on interdiction, L/Cpl Daniel Kagya of the Accra Central Police Station, Evans Asare Yeboah of the Armoured Car Squadron in Accra and G/Constable John Mensah-Gray of the Service Workshop attached to the Regional Headquarters, Accra.
The civilians are Eric Asamoah, 35, Kwadwo Annim, alias Olympio, 35, Alex Addo, 36, Kwasi Kumeke, 27, Kwame Attah Yeboah, 33, and James Ofori, all businessmen in Accra.
Source: Daily Graphic
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