Addo Kufuor blames "Castro"

Acting Interior Minster Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor has blamed the former deputy commissioner of police (DCOP), Yaw Adu Gyimah, for going public on what could have been brought to the attention of the chairman of the Police Council for redress. Dr Addo Kufuor stated that Adu Gyimah, as a former police officer, knew where he could direct his grievance-instead of doing so on a radio station.

The former commander was interviewed on Tema-based Adom 106.3 FM when the story broke yesterday. During the programme, Castro, as he was affectionately known within the ranks, reiterated his earlier call for the committee?s report to be made public.

Noting that police officers that were allegedly implicated in the Accra Sport Stadium tragedy had been put before court for their cases to be heard, he questioned why a similar opportunity could be extended to him also.

?It is amazing to know that there is so much internal struggle for the position of an Inspector General of Police (IGP) that people resort to all sorts of crude methods just to undermine others they believe are qualified for the post,? Adu Gyimah argued. He likened it to the struggle over a royal stool. He said that at the time of the investigation he was qualified.

When we reached him over the next line of action, Adu Gyimah said the believe that the present government, under President Kufuor, was operating with the rule of law and that was why he was reminding the administration of the right thing to do.

Speaking from his Kumasi base, Castro who said that he had served the police for 26 years as district and unit head said that he exhausted all available means within the police service. According to him, the committee was given one month to complete its job, but surprisingly spent eight months investigating the allegation.

He alleged that efforts he made at the time former IGP Owusu Poku was in office to know his fate ended in frustrations and a similar thing occurred when Nana Owusu Nsiah was appointed. Our independent investigations, according to police sources at the Panthers Unit, the Greater Accra commander Kofi Boakye, was nearly transferred outside Accra, because he was becoming too popular among the ranks and for that matter it is not surprising that he is still facing the same problems.