The acting National Security Coordinator, Major General Francis Adu Amanfo (rtd), has defended the forceful removal of the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Opare Addo from office.
Last Tuesday, a group of persons alleged to be part of the supposed disbanded pro-NPP vigilante group, the Delta Force, were arrested for allegedly attempting to forcibly remove the Regional Security Coordinator from his office.
The group stormed the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council purporting to be security officials.
They then insisted on taking the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, DCOP Ayensu Opare Addo (rtd) out of his office.
But, Major General Francis Adu-Amanfo, who spoke to journalists during a tour of some mining sites in the Eastern, Ashanti, Central and Western Regions on Tuesday, said the tenure of DCOP Opare Addo has expired, but he has refused to vacate his post.
“He had no locus to be in the office because a new officer had been appointed, and he should have handed over to the officer, and he says he won’t hand over. So that is why a team was sent from Accra to go and mitigate and facilitate the handing and taking over the process”.
“The bottom line of all of this is that Opare Addo had a contract with National Security and for four years he was the regional liaison for the National Security. His term of the contract has expired. It was not renewed because of non-performance and his own criminal activities”, he added.
When asked for further clarity on his claims of criminality against DCOP Opare Addo, the acting National Security Coordinator said those issues are under investigation.
“I will say most of these things are vicious, and I say so because I am very experienced in the military. I have served 37 years, being an Ambassador to Liberia, Mali, so I have seen it all. Most of these allegations are vicious, so we need to investigate them before I can make any serious statement. These issues are being investigated.”
No handcuffing
Major General Francis Adu Amanfo (rtd) also dispelled claims by the beleaguered Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator that he was arrested and handcuffed by national security operatives while being forcefully removed from his office.
According to Major General Adu Amanfo, the account as narrated by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Opare Addo does not reflect the true happenings on the day.
The acting National Security boss clarified that his team members who were deployed from Accra to make sure DCOP Opare Addo got out of office, were rather handcuffed by officers of the Ashanti Regional Police Command who had been called by the DCOP Opare to handle the matter.
“He [Opare Addo] rather called for police reinforcement and got the team that had gone to mitigate the issues arrested and handcuffed, and not him Opare Addo. It was the team from Accra that was handcuffed. He [Opare Addo] rather called the Regional Police Commander to come, and they came and arrested the team we had sent from Accra”, Major General Adu Amanfo explained.
DCOP Opare Addo’s reaction
However, DCOP Ayensu Opare Addo has rejected assertions by General Francis Adu Amanfo (rtd) over his forceful removal from office.
He said his supervisor should not be taken seriously.
“He [National Security Boss] is making those propositions, so he should come out with his findings. My allegations are not vicious. Forget about him, and I am not worried about him. I know the guys who came to my office. They are Delta Force members that I know by face and names. He said I have been in office for years so clearly, he doesn’t know what he is saying”, he said on Eyewitness News on Tuesday.
However, when asked the specific question in response to claims that he was not handcuffed as he earlier narrated, DCOP Opare Addo replied saying; “leave him [Major General] alone. He wasn’t in my office”.
DCOP Ayensu Opare Addo (rtd) had recounted his ordeal at the hands of his attackers and questioned the reasonability of the treatment meted out to him.
