Ban from military installations is nonsense

TWEA, EYI YE asem’ is the best way of describing the sentiment former President Rawlings echoed in his statement on the ban of the seven former security heads over their meeting with him on national security concerns.

But for Brig. Gen. Nunoo Mensah (rtd), it’s plain “Nonsense!”

By Saturday, the respected Anlo MP and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, James Victor Gbeho, also claimed on JOY FM’s Newsfile programme that the ban violated the rights of the seven individuals, only for an Intel officer to remind Ghanaians of a similar ban placed by former President Rawlings on former National Security capo, Captain Kojo Tsikaka (rtd), which made it extremely difficult for him to access documents he needed to aide his legal battles with the Independent newspaper of London in the late 90’s after Rawlings fell out with his former friend.

The debate on the ban was stirred by the controversial former Chief of Defence Staff and onetime NPP losing candidate for the Winneba area, Brig. Gen. Nunoo Mensah.

Expressing disdain for the ban on him and six other former heads of security institutions Thursday, he accused the Kufuor administration of “lacking discretion on matters of national security”, vowing that he would not sit down for the country to drift towards anarchy. In his view, he was the target of the ban.

Questioning why Major General Francis Mahama, who he said was also at the meeting was left out, defended the meeting with former President Rawlings.

”If you trust your wife and she goes to a brothel, would you describe her as a whore?” he asked rhetorically, to explain that though Rawlings is Ghana’s most successful serial coup maker, his visit to his house should not be misconstrued.

Significantly, information gathered by this paper indicates that Nunoo Mensah opted to cancel an arranged meeting with serving heads of the nation’s security organisations called by him at the last hour after the officers had waited for him for hours to attend his security meeting with the former President, under whose tenure he once served as a CDS.

On his part, former President Rawlings, who is used to a similar ban placed on him years ago, described the ban as absurd in a statement signed by his spokesman, Kofi Adams.

“This absurdity can only emanate from a guilty and desperate NPP government incapable of facing the December 7 elections without fraud and violence.

The affected commanders, whose restriction were announced in a press statement signed by the National Security Coordinator, Dr. Sam Ghartey Amoo, are Lt. Gen. Arnold Quainoo, former General Officer Commanding; Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah, twice Chief of Defence Staff; Real Admiral Owusu Ansah, former Chief of Naval Staff; Mr. C.K Dewornu, former Inspector General of Police; Mr. F.Y Asare, former Greater Accra Regional Police Commander; Mr. Bruce Konuah, former Defence Advisor to Pakistan and Mr. W.K. Aboah former Commissioner of Police

A release from the National Security Council signed by Dr. Sam Ghartey Amoo, which effected the ban, said the seven persons have been banned with immediate effect and until further notice, from all military and police installations and garrisons in the country in the interest of national security.