Ghana benefited more from Aisha Huang than Gitmo 2 - Odike reveals

Businessman, Founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike has called on Ghanaians to weigh the benefits of Aisha Huang’s extradition to China after allegations of mining violations against her and the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees brought into the country under erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.

“I will not attack the Senior Minister for revealing reasons why Aisha Huang was extradited by the government…I would like us to weigh the benefit of extraditing her and that of Gitmo two people NDC government brought into the country”. He challenged.

According to him, Senior Minister Yaw Osarfo- Maafo got it right when he said Ghana stands to gain no benefit from jailing Aisha Haung even if she was found guilty of doing illegal mining in the country as accused.

“Truth be told, if it is not true that the Chinese has given as Two Million dollars because we freed Aisha Huang? What did we get for bringing Gitmo 2 into the country”, Mr. Akwasi Addai Odike quizzed during Nhyira FM morning show monitored by MyNewsGh.com.

It would be recalled that the two Yemenis, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby were brought into the country sparking controversy between the government at the time and the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) details of the agreement leading to their presence in Ghana.

But upon assumption of the current administration, the United States (US) government urged Ghanaians to worry no more about the presence of the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees in Ghana also known as Gitmo 2 dropping hints they are raising their families in the country.

“I don’t believe Ghanaians should be concerned about their presence based on a track record that is now two and a half years long”, Former US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson stated.

He responded to a question as to whether or not the two should now be allowed to leave Ghana after spending the two years agreed upon by the erstwhile Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration and the US Government.

“Both of them are married now; both of them have children now; both of them are well integrated into Ghana,” he revealed during media encounter with MyNewsGh.com reporters recently in Accra.

He said contrary to suspicions by a section of the public upon the arrival of the two Yemenis, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby in Ghana, they have not attracted terrorists nor been a problem to the security of the country and therefore will not in the future pose any security threat.

Odike is however of the view that Ghana benefitted less from the two compared to what it has gotten from infamous galamsey queen, Aisha Huang.