Dawn swoop lands peace officers in trouble

POLICE AVERT BLOODY CLASH
… After arresting officers are declared armed robbers
Posted: The Chronicle | Thursday, November 19, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu & George K. Frimpong


Good professional conduct exhibited by police personnel detailed to effect the arrest of a suspect at Teshie, a suburb of Accra, averted what could have been a bloody clash in the early hours of Wednesday.
Upon seeing the police, the suspect intentionally raised a false alarm by making call to the police headquarters asking them to come to his rescue, as he was being attacked by armed robbers.

However, a team of over twenty armed police personnel, who were dispatched from the police headquarters to rescue him and his family from the supposed robbers, exercised the greatest sense of caution and restraint, when they got to the scene around 3:00 a.m.

Unknown to the police personnel, who had been dispatched from the police headquarters, the supposed robbers were their own colleagues, who had been detailed from the Accra West divisional headquarters at Kaneshie to arrest the suspect, a certain Kofi Boateng, who has eluded the police for several months, after allegedly defrauding another man of a whopping amount of GH¢18,000 (the equivalent of 180 million old cedis) under the pretext of providing him 40 drums of ethanol.

Sources at the divisional headquarters told The Chronicle that upon reaching the house at Teshie, where the suspect was hiding, the police, some of whom were in mufti, went straight to knock on his door.

His wife then showed up at the door, and inquired from the police what their mission was.

The security men then told the lady that they had been sent to bring her husband to the station, and proceeded to ask her of his whereabouts.

But, the lady reportedly told the police that her husband was not around.

The source told the paper that they suspected mischief, since they saw somebody moving about in the room.

Even before the police could take any action, another team of police pesponnel, in three police patrol vehicles, arrived at the scene ready for action.

But for the sighting one of the men from the Accra West divisional headquarters, who was in uniform, the police officers from the Police Headquarters would have opened fire on their on their colleagues, who had gone to the house in a private vehicle.

According to the police, this could have resulted in a bloody clash if they had not exercised the highest level of professionalism, considering the report they received when the desperate call came in.

When The Chronicle contacted the Accra West Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Michael Kportufe Avadetsi, he confirmed the incident, but indicated that there was no confrontation between the two teams of police officers.

He told the paper that his men booked entry at the Kaneshie Police station before proceeding to Teshie for the operation, and subsequently when they got to Teshie where the suspect was hiding, they went to the station to inform the police officers there about their intended arrest.

According to him, the complaint in the case claims to have given an amount GH¢18,000 to one Nii Mensah to provide him with 40 drums of lentils alcohol, who in turn paid the money into the suspect’s (Boateng’s) bank account, since he had made claims that he was a worker at the Osu Castle, and that some of the products were being auctioned at the seat of government.

Five months down the line, Chief Supt Avadetsi said the Boateng had failed to produce the product, and also eluded the police, until he was arrested in the early hours of yesterday, and was now in custody.

John Boadu goes for Lord Commey`s post

…Banks hopes on experience, credentials
Posted: The Chronicle | Wednesday, November 18, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The National Youth Organiser of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has declared his intention to contest for the position of National Organiser of the party, a position currently occupied by his good friend, Lord Commey.
He has promised to give other competitors, including the likes of Alhaji Muctar Bamba and Isaac Eduasor Edumadze, who have openly declared their intentions to contest for the same position a good run for their money, considering the level of clout he has gathered with time.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, Mr. Boadu was optimistic of winning the position, banking his hopes on the experience and credentials he has gathered in the service to the party over the years. Though it is not clear whether or not Lord Commey will contest for the position, credible sources at the party’s headquarters have told the paper that he would like to take a back seat for sometime, and for will not seek re-election.

According to our sources, considering the cordial relations between the two (John and Lord), it is most likely that Lord would give John his blessings.

However, John said his decision to contest for the position was borne out of the successive processes he has gone through in the party, right from the days when he was Polling Station executive to Constituency Secretary.

John said he proceeded to become Regional Information Officer to National Youth Treasurer and then to Finance Officer and finally to the position of National Youth Organiser, which he currently occupies.

That notwithstanding, he said he has served and paid his dues to the party, for him to seek the entitlement of that position. According to him, “I have acquired the necessary skills, I have worked under a lot of people in this party and I believe that I still need to put my service at the disposal of the party.”

Asked how he assesses his chances in view of the names that have come out as potential contenders for the position, John said “in my view, in terms of looking at experience and knowledge in politics, I think that it will be difficult for any of the names you are talking about to beat me.” The National Youth Organiser said “it will not be possible at all, especially with the work that I have done for this party at the Youth level.”

John Boadu further noted that he has received a lot of calls from party people on the ground and senior party members, and believes he has excelled in all the positions he has occupied, either by virtue of elections or appointment, and believe it is time for him to give his service to the party, and to organize it just as it was done over the years by the likes of Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd) and the incumbent, Lord Commey.

He believes these two individuals exhibited a great sense of leadership and style, which he intends to put altogether as one, to help the party win elections in the year 2012. He credited Quashigah for training party agents and communication and Lord Commey for his skills in event management and organization. “I have been with all these people. I’m going to combine both and bring dynamism in party organization,” he said.

Word Miracle challenges claimants

…and produces land certificate to show ownership of `disputed` land
Posted: The Chronicle | Wednesday, November 18, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

Lawyers and the leadership of the Word Miracle Church International (WMCI) yesterday tendered in documents to prove that they are the only and true owners of a parcel of land at Avenor, which resulted in a dispute that claimed two lives on Monday morning.
This was when the church invited a section of the media to their headquarters located at Dzorwulu in Accra yesterday, to show them proof of how they acquired the land through legal means.

Lawyer for the church and Accra-based legal practitioner, Adjei Lartey, who spoke on behalf of the church, produced a land certificate dated September 14, 2009, and signed by the Chief Registrar of Lands at the Land Title Registry, which gave the name of the owners of the 1.29 hectares (3.20 acre) of land situated at Avenor, as the WMCI.

He thus rubbished the claims and speculations making rounds in the media, as though the church had encroached on somebody’s property, saying “that is totally false.”

“From the records available at the Land Title Registry to the Lands Commission, the Word

Miracle Church is the bonafide owner of that piece of land located at Avenor.”

This, according to him, was evident in the fact that the church conducted all the legal processes before going into the purchase of the land in the year 2004.

He could therefore not find any wisdom in claims that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission owns the land.

In spite of that, the leadership of the church says it is prepared to meet anybody who has a problem with the land, to discuss the issue, and resolve it. “Any contesting claimant should hold his peace. If he is not satisfied with the proceedings so far, the law court is available and assessable, he can go and state his case, and we will be ready to meet him.”

According to him, the land was sold to the Nkrumah circle branch of the WMCI, by the late John Kofi Appiah and his existing son, and then went ahead to follow all the legal processes to get a registered title from the Land Title Registry to cover the land.

Prior to the issuance of the land certificate, he noted that the Registrar of Lands caused a publication in the Ghanaian Times newspaper, in which he sought to notify the public of their intention to register the said land, as required by law.

Since then, he noted that no single individual or group of persons had issued a caveat body, or even raised an objection against the sale or purchase of the land, and therefore stressed, “The certificate which has been issued is an indivisible title, which inures to the benefit of the title holder, which is the Word Miracle Church International.”

Due to an earlier judgment in favour of the church, he noted that they sought an order for leave for execution and demolition of the structures on the land, which was granted by an Accra High Court.

This, according to him, enjoined the police to assist in the removal of the structures last week Wednesday.

In their quest to develop the land, Lawyer Adjei Lartey noted that the church has had a series of consultations with the chiefs and people of the area, the Assembly Member, and the Okaikoi sub-metro, in which they outlined their plans for the area, including an adoption and elevation of the Avenor Community School.

Based on this, he said, “We find it inconsistent and unacceptable for anybody to claim that the church has no land in the locality.”

Asked of the identities of those who went to the land on Monday, the lawyer responded that they were those who assisted the police when they were recovering the land, since according to him, “the police saw them, assisted them, and they cannot be termed as landguards.

“The church never engages landguards, because we are owners of the land, and it doesn’t make sense if an owner of land will go and employ landguards on his own land,” he noted with emphasis.

The church however expressed regret at the incident which resulted in the loss of the lives of two individuals, describing it as unfortunate. They therefore expressed their heartfelt condolences to the deceased families for the loss.

Meanwhile, the church has indicated its preparedness to assist the families of the bereaved to find a resting place for those who lost their lives during Monday’s incident.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission has however sought to disassociate itself from the incident. A statement signed and issued in Accra yesterday, by its General Affairs Secretary, Alhaj Abdul Rahman Ennin, said, “the mission wishes to make it abundantly clear that it is not, and has not, been in litigation in court with any other religious body over the ownership of any parcel of land at Avenor.”

The Mission thus noted that it had not engaged landguards or any group of persons to fight in its interest. The statement however noted that the Mission owns plot number 165 in Avenor, by an indenture dated December 11, 1985, executed between itself and one Numo Ayitey Agbofu II (Gbese Mantse) as lessors, stressing that the latter issued the parcel of land covering an approximate area of 1.59 acres in the Avenor area.

It is thus not clear whether it is the same parcel land the two religious bodies are laying claim to.