Four reasons COP Mensah wanted Ghana’s IGP removed from office

The Ghana Police Service has been making headlines due to a leaked tape that allegedly involves three senior police officers - COP Alex Mensah, Superintendent George Asare, and Superintendent Emmanuel Eric Gyebi - and a former Northern Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The recording reportedly reveals a plot to unseat the current Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.

After the leaked audio went viral, parliament commissioned a 7-member ad hoc committee to probe the content of the leaked tape and make recommendations to the house.

The testimonies of the implicated persons revealed the following as reasons why the officers wanted their boss out of office:

1. IGP will not aid the NPP to secure power in 2024 - COP Alex Mensah

COP Alex Mensah, a former Director Director-General of Operations believes the IGP would not offer assistance to facilitate an easy win for the ruling government in the next general elections.

“This IGP won’t help us. He won’t. He wants everything to be done fairly and we don’t win elections that way,” COP Alex Mensah is heard saying in the tape.

He added, “If we don’t remove him, we can’t ‘break the 8’, in politics we need machinations and this IGP won’t allow that.”.

2. Mismanagement of the police service

Giving his testimony before the parliamentary committee on Thursday, August 31, COP Alex Mensah accused the IGP of mismanaging the Ghana Police Service.

According to him, a lot of servicemen in the police service are unhappy with the administration of the IGP.

“Dampare is not managing the Police Service well and the majority of police officers are not happy. You can call the police officers underground and they will tell you,” he said.

3. Suppression of dissent within the police service

During his second appearance before the parliamentary ad hoc committee, COP Alex Mensah accused the IGP of suppressing officers' freedom of expression and stifling opposing views.

“As I have said earlier the current IGP is not managing the Service well because now he has shut the mouth of every police officer including the Public Affairs Director,” he said while testifying at a public hearing on the leaked tape on Friday, September 1, 2023.

4. COP Alex Mensah's quest to be IGP

The former Director-General of Operations who is currently on leave pending retirement believes he is the best person to manage the police service.

He revealed before the committee that, since 2017, he has been actively lobbying to become the Insepctor-General of Police.

He also confirmed his political affiliation with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Background

On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, an audio recording purportedly featuring a conversation between a police commissioner and a politician discussing a scheme to oust IGP Dr. Dampare ahead of the 2024 elections was leaked.

Subsequently, the Minority Caucus in Parliament demanded an investigation into the leaked tape.

Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, responded by establishing a seven-member bipartisan Committee on July 25th to inquire into the clandestine recording.

The parliamentary committee chaired by Samuel Atta Akyea, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South with Mr James Agalga, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Builsa North, as the Vice-Chairman is expected to bring its activities to report back to the house their findings and recommendations.

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