Security analyst Emmanuel Kotin has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to direct the Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo-Dampare to step aside.
Mr. Kotin believes that the IGP’s stepping aside should be followed by the creation of a Commission of Inquiry to help address the ongoing crisis within the Ghana Police Service.
The police suspended their decision to interdict three senior police officers for their involvement in an alleged plot to remove the IGP, as revealed in a leaked audio recording.
“The bottom line is this: for the sake of national security and the things that are coming out, we need to be very circumspect about how we discuss some of these issues in the public space, because of the damning evidence that is trickling in day by day. I think the president needs to step in and put sanity to all of these things. The president must ask the IGP to step aside so that we can have an independent investigation into this matter, such that no one will be victimized. No witness will be scared to come forward to give evidence, and such that the IGP will not be in a position to tamper with witnesses.”
“The matters before us are very serious matters. The parliamentary committee may have to call it a day, and a proper commission of inquiry headed by a good judge should handle the investigation. The terms of reference can be widened. We should treat this as a national security crisis, and experts can be invited. It cannot be said that Dampare is an angel; no, he is not.”
The security analyst claimed that the decision to suspend the interdiction indicates that it was made solely by the IGP.
“A decision that was taken in good faith was overturned in 24 hours, it means that the decision was not taken with a broader consensus, as laid down by the police administrative Act. Who has the power to interdict? It’s only three organs that can interdict senior officers like the Commissioner.”
“The Commissioner has equal rights as the Military General. And it’s not a small rank, first is the President and the second is the police council, third is the disciplinary board. When this interdiction happened, were these other bodies consulted? Or it was a unilateral decision taken by the IGP? I’m convinced in my mind that proper consultations were not done, and this decision was probably solely taken by the IGP. And to that extent, it means he has taken that decision arbitrarily against the service’s procedure,” he stated.