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The coup suspects being held in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations after a 15-month-long surveillance led to the scuttling of their alleged treasonable intentions by the security agencies, had contemplated “kidnapping” President Nana Akufo-Addo and detonating explosives around the President, the Vice-President, the Chief of Defence Staff as well as “top shots”, as part of the execution of their plot to “take over” the government and the state, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baaku has revealed.
Currently, four civilians and a senior military officer have been holed by the BNI and being investigated in connection with the coup plot.
Dr Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, owner of Citadel Hospital and his two accomplices – Mr Ezor Kafui (a local weapon manufacturer) and Mr Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu (aka BB or ADC) – were arrested on Friday, 20 September 2019 at Accra and Bawaleshie near Dodowa. They have been arraigned at the Kaneshie District Court and charged with five counts.
The other two are Col. Samuel Kojo Gameli and a civilian employee of the Ghana Armed Forces, Gershon Akpa, who have been charged with possession of explosives, firearms and ammunition without lawful authority. The two were alleged to have engaged the services of a local blacksmith from the Volta Region to manufacture six pistols at a cost of GHS 2,300 each and 22 explosives at a cost of GHS 400 each. The locally-made pistols and explosives were handed over to the prime suspect, Dr Mac-Palm.
Speaking on Accra-based Multi TV’s Newsfile programme on Saturday, 28 September 2019, Mr Baako told host Samson Lardy Anyenini and his three other co-discussants that: “Fortunately, I’ve been able to watch video recordings, I’ve been able to listen to audio recordings of the 15 months … and I’m convinced beyond doubt” that the suspects were plotting to take over the government.
“If you see the full remit of the evidence, then you see that, that isolated picture [of some pistols and kitchen knife flying on social media] was no basis for anybody to make a judgment”, he said, adding: “Then, if you also listen to the plans and the attempts to contact people in the military – indeed, there are ten soldiers right now, who are on the radar and busted. My understanding is that those who reported [whistleblowers] having been contacted and their assistance having been solicited, obviously, will be part of the prosecution witnesses, I suspect. So, it reduces to six [soldiers] instead of the 10”.
Mr Baako narrated that: “There were scenarios where they [suspects] even contemplate kidnapping of the President. They contemplate a situation – and this is there on video, it’ll come out in court – where, if the President, the Vice-President, the Chief of Defence Staff and some other top shots are at a convocation and congregated at a place, to explode that thing [explosives] they were doing there, you see the guy manufacturing with the doctor present [Dr Mac-Palm]. This is video, and they talk of exploding this thing from which projectiles will come out, like nails, like needles rather and then also some chemicals that will make you go off; they contemplate that.
“These are things that they were discussing and doing. You’ll see the manufacturing in action; they are doing it. But you see, they had been infiltrated, so, it was the infiltrators who were videoing and recording for 15 months, and I give credit to the security establishment, Defence Intelligence, especially. The meetings where they held and deciding to recruit, it’s all recorded. So, in my view, this is not one of the fakes”, Mr Baako asserted, noting that from the discussions and plans of the suspects, they intended to “take over the government” and the state.
