Akufo-Addo defies Ken Agyapong; sanctions arrest of Delta Force members

President Nana Akufo-Addo has defied threats by Kennedy Agyapong and sanctioned the arrest of members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s Delta Force by the police.

Agyapong, the member of parliament for Assin Central, had warned the government and Albert Kan Dapaah, the national security minister, not to dare arrest members of the Delta Force, a vigilante group affiliated to the NPP.

The Delta Force members had brutally attacked the Ashanti Regional security coordinator, Mr George Agyei, and thrown him out of his office, provoking outrage among members of the public and calls for their arrest.

But Agyapong threatened to embark on demonstration if members of the Delta Force, who he said helped the NPP win power, were arrested by law enforcement agencies.

"Anyone should dare and put any of the Delta Force guys on trial. I would personally lead demonstrations against the NPP and Kan Dapaah. Nana Addo didn’t win easily; we fought and these boys were at the war front when they were fighting,” he said.

However, Akufo-Addo, in a rare defiance of the powerful Agyapong, sanctioned the arrest of the Delta Force members by police.

He, during a recent visit to Kumasi, assured the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II of his commitment to punishing the group, saying: "I will not ignore such issues. The law applies to everyone in Ghana. I know it is of concern to you, but do not worry; we will ensure that everything is resolved.”

So far, the police have arrested 13 members of the Delta Force, according to a report by the Daily Graphic.

Some of those arrested are: Salu Issakah, 33; Akwasi Owusu, 34; Kwabena Owusu, 46; Kofi Kyei, 40; Agya Boadu, 46; Salu Yussif, 35; Yussif Salu, 32 and Kwaku Awotwe, 40. The leader of the group, Kwadwo Fosu Bamba, was the first to be arrested in Kumasi a day after the incident.

Two days later Awal Sadat Abubakar was also nailed by the police in Kumasi.

However, Abukakar Sidiq Abdul Hameed, Jamil Issah and Hamza Mohammed voluntarily turned themselves in to the police.

All 13 have been granted bail, the report said. It is not immediately clear if Agyapong will let the matter rest or carry out his threat to demonstrate against the government.