Police Chase Konadu Boys

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Saturday June 25, 2011.
A planned demonstration by some disgruntled supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) against President John Evans Atta Mills and his government could not be staged yesterday because the demonstrators failed to turn up.

The demonstration which was supposedly organized by James Kofi Amanmuo, an ardent supporter of Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was to protest against “intimidation” and also “expose bribery scandals” in their own party in the run up to the national delegates’ congress in Sunyani that would select a flagbearer for the NDC in 2012.

Amanmuo had earlier told Joy News the group is meeting to provide the police with the needed information to enable them embark on the demonstration.

He said “the one who took the bribe is a delegate. The bribe came from the Office of the President,” adding the delegate is from the Central Region and the amount involved is GHS6,000.

Kofi Amanmuo said they are bent on proving that the Mills administration is superintending some corrupt practices that can destroy the party.

They had planned to converge and march from the NDC Headquarters to Parliament house and then to the Castle (seat of government) to present their petition.

Yesterday as early as 6:15 am hoards of police officers with riot control gears and tankers were seen patrolling some principal streets particularly the Ring Road Central and later converged at the Divisional Command at Nima for a ‘showdown’ with the demonstrators.

The police had to wait at their ‘base’ virtually the whole day for the demonstrators but there was no ‘action’.

At about 1:30 pm, the men in black were still seen at the Nima Divisional Command awaiting the demonstrators.

Later, Chief Inspector Kwaku Dompreh of the Police Public Affairs Unit of the Greater Accra Regional Command confirmed to Daily Guide that a letter dated June 13, 2011 and signed by James Kofi Amanmuo had been sent to them but the leadership of the demonstrators had refused to co-orporate with the police on how the march was going to be like.

He said the police was taking the necessary precautionary measures to protect life and property because Amanmuo had threatened to hit the streets with his gang without recourse to the Public Order Act.

He said “the police needed to sit down with the leadership of the demonstrators to define the route for the march, the time and other matters but they simply refused to co-orporate with us”.

“They brought the letter alright but afterwards they told us point blank that they were not going to sit down with us to discuss the way forward even though they are bent on hitting the streets today,” Mr. Dompreh explained.

“The letter brought to us lacked all the necessary ingredients spelt out in the Public Order Act and as law enforcers we will allow anybody or group to circumvent the law.”

He said the police is there for the public and are ready to offer support for anybody or group that obey the law, rules and regulations of the country adding “once we have chosen to embark on a long democratic journey we should all play our roles to make the country safe to live in.”

He said the police had to withdraw all personnel who were on special duties in the region to join their colleagues to offer protection for the demonstrators who never turned up.