Kanawu Radio number 1 news portal
“This is not a church room. I heard some singing going on. This is the Police Headquarters with rules and regulations. Please respect yourselves. I need the Chairman and three of his counsel; the rest please go down… my name is ACP George Tweneboah, Deputy Director-General of CID.”
These were the words of the Deputy Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) DCOP/Mr. George Tweneboah, who ordered ‘rowdy’ national executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to vacate the second floor of the CID headquarters yesterday and stop singing in solidarity with their embattled National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo.
Arrival With Lawyers
The NDC National Chairman eventually reported at the CID headquarters five days after he was invited in the early hours of yesterday in the company of NDC lawyers-Tony Lithur, Victor Kojogah Adawuda, Abraham Amaleba, Chris Akumey and Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, a former Attorney General under the previous Mahama administration.
He was also joined by almost all the national executives of the party and others who were led in a song by Joshua Akamba to manage the boredom they suffered while waiting for so long without being told anything.
The Deputy Director-General, who was obviously not enthusiastic about the high-pitched session of singing after issuing the order, directed that aside from the suspect and his lawyers the rest of the executives should leave the second floor and proceed to the reception of the CID headquarters.
Hannah Louisa Bisiw, the National Women’s Organiser, said they would not leave since they constituted part of a body of which Mr Ofosu-Ampofo is the head.
It’s not known whether she and her colleagues heeded the order to move to the reception, but eventually the singing stopped.Empty Threat
The NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu-Nketia could not take it any longer, as he was overheard threatening to leave if they were not attended to in the next 30 minutes.
It was unclear whether he would whisk away the chairman or leave him behind.
In the end, he and his colleagues just had to wait.
Background
The CID Deputy Director-General invited the chairman to come and assist in investigations with regard to remarks he made when he hosted party communicators and others at the NDC headquarters in the aftermath of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence recently.
Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo was subjected to an extended grilling over what he was captured as saying in an audio recording at the NDC headquarters.
The leaked audio recording contains the chilling strategies the NDC intends to use for the 2020 election – one being the kidnappings of family members of political opponents.
Most of the contents have been attributed to Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo, who is an elder of the Pentecost Church of Ghana.
Shaky Chairman
He arrived in the early hours of yesterday a shaky man not knowing what awaited him in the hands of his interrogators after nearly a week of ‘hide-and-seek’ game with the law enforcement agency.
There was even a contemplation to seek a warrant of arrest for him when it appeared he was not going to honour the invitation.
GH¢400,000 Bail
As of 5.30pm, the CID team was not yet done with their assignment on their guests.
However, at about 6pm, information reached DAILY GUIDE that Mr Ofosu-Ampofo had been granted bail and some police officers were going to inspect the structure used as a surety.
The police enquiry bail condition is GH¢400,000 with two sureties, and he is expected to report to the CID headquarters on Thursday, March 7.
The charges levelled against him are conspiracy to cause harm, threat of harm, conspiracy to commit rioting and assault on public officer.
NDC Supporters
Party supporters, mostly Zongo women and youth who wore red bands and chanted war songs, were there to solidarise with the embattled chairman.
In the early hours of yesterday personnel of the Formed Police Unit (FPU) had assembled their anti-riot vehicles and gears at the façade of the Police Headquarters, having of course gathered intelligence that the party supporters would be organized to come and politicise the issue at stake.
Nature’s Call
At about 3pm Elder Ofosu-Ampofo was permitted to go out and attend to the call of nature. That was the only time he left his seat at the police headquarters.
The Moment
Eventually, the anticipated moment came and the Director-General asked the party chairman and the lawyers of the embattled chairman to come into a room for questioning.
The Team
DAILY GUIDE learnt that the interrogation team was made up of officers well versed in such procedures.
Supporters Being Mobilised
At about 5.45pm yesterday, DAILY GUIDE gathered that Sofo Azorka, who is a vice chairman of the party and leader of the Azorka Boys, an NDC vigilante group, had threatened to proceed to the police headquarters if the party chairman was not released.
He added that they would block the road.
A pro-NDC radio station also called on party supporters to go to the police headquarters.
