Security analyst Emmanuel Kotin has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to instruct Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo-Dampare to temporarily step down while a Commission of Inquiry is established on the sides to probe the matters of concern arising from the public hearing on the leaked tape on the ousting of the IGP.
His comments come after the police service announced, in a statement dated September 8, 2023, that it had rescinded its decision to interdict the three police officers who have been fingered in the IGP ousting case.
He said the revocation of the interdiction is proof that the IGP solely took this decision without consulting the right authorities as
“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.
“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 said.
Hence, he has called on the president to order the IGP to step down temporarily to aid an independent and accurate probe into the case without compromise.
“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 victimised. No witness will be scared to come forward to give evidence, and the IGP will not be in a position to tamper with witnesses.”
“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 into all of these things”.
Highlighting the gravity of the matter at hand, the security analyst suggests that a commission of inquiry led by a judge and other experts in that regard should take over the investigation, insisting that the IGP is not an angel.
“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 tape on the IGP ousting plot surfaced in Ghana on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
It was a leaked audio recording of a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a scheme to depose the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, ahead of the 2024 general election.
The tape was recorded by Daniel Bugri Naabu, former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, in his Osu office during a meeting with affected officers.
The tape caused public outrage and prompted the Speaker of Parliament to constitute a seven-member bipartisan committee to investigate the secret recording.
The committee has up to September 10, 2023, to report back to the House.