Cybercrime Drama: I was coached to lie – Modern Ghana reporter

One of the two Modern Ghana reporters, Emmanuel Britwum, who denied an allegation of torture, has exposed the sessions of ‘coaching’ and encouragement to ‘lie’ about their brief period of detention to embarrass the National Security Council Secretariat and its operatives.

Soon after the ill-fated ‘torture story’ pushed by his colleague Emmanuel Ajarfor Abubakar Abugri was downloaded onto the media space, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a statement demanding that the National Security Minister, Kan Dapaah, should resign from his position.

It is the latest in a series of developments to hit the decapitated ‘torture story’ and the clearest efforts some hidden forces put in to push the ‘torture’ agenda.

Emmanuel Britwum, who had earlier denied ever engaging A-Partners@ Law as his lawyers, said he had learnt a lot about how people, as he put it, “try to take advantage of situations to champion their personal interests.”

Secret Video and Audio

He expressed surprise about a secretly recorded audio and video recordings showing him narrating how he was tortured and even shocked with electric tasers by National Security operatives during their brief incarceration.

He charged the unknown persons who secretly recorded the said video to muster courage and play the full tape for the public to know “the behind-the-scene plots, coaching and orchestrated fabrications I have decided to stay away from although I know it would cost me my job.”

He said when the tape is played in full, viewers would see how a lawyer was pushing an agenda to influence him to change his official statement to the police to create an impression that he was assaulted, tortured and shocked with tasers by National Security operatives.

Media Agenda

He said if the tape is not tampered with, it would clearly show how he was coached to ensure that their statements don’t differ in content to make the ‘torture story’ appear credible.

“Let it show why I did not agree to go on Citi Morning Show and the other media networks,” he charged.

Public Sympathy

Continuing, he said that an unedited video would also show how he was made to believe that he had to play along and win public sympathy otherwise he would be left to carry his own cross without a lawyer.

Family Solidarity

Emmanuel Britwum expressed gratitude to his family who, after narrating to them how he was asked to lie to attract support, told him he did not have to lie to get help and legal representation.

Having finally secured a lawyer through his family, one whom he said was going to stick to the facts and not push him to sell his conscience; there was no need to be used to prosecute the agenda of others.

He pointed out that if he had actually been tortured, he would have voiced it from the first day of his release, adding “I would have stated so in my official statement to the police.”

He took a subtle swipe at the delayed announcement of a torture when he said that “I would not have waited for days for my boss to bring some people to me in private and ask me to tell them something he and I know never happened to me.”

Populist Drama

He said he is fed up with what he said is populist drama and would not want to be part of it anymore. If his position would cost him his job so be it, he added.

He is convinced the case can be won without embellishing it with additions that would win public sympathy.

He said the arrest, detention and charges did not make sense to him completely and concluded that ‘truth stands. It is just a matter of time.’

Claims and Counter-claims

Emmanuel Britwum and A-Partners@ Law were engaged in an exchange of claims and counter-claims.

Whereas the law firm claims to have withdrawn its services for Emmanuel Britwum, the latter said he never engaged the firm anyway.

Speaking through his lawyer, Debora Asabere Ameyaw, he said “it is a case I have never engaged any law firm or any individual from that firm.”

Emmanuel Britwum, Emmanuel Abubakari Ajarfor Abugri and later Yaw Obeng Manu of Peace FM were arrested over alleged incidents of hacking but the Attorney General’s Department discontinued the case after their maiden appearance in court.