Huge doubt over govt & national security’s secessionist story

The government, the Military, the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and the National Security Secretariat have been caught in another doubt-ridden story, involving the arrest of some 21 young men and a lady in the Volta region, said to be receiving a private military training in a town near the border town of Dzodze.

The personnel of Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in a joint operation with the BNI, claimed success in the invasion and the arrest of the 21 trainees at a camp belonging to Homeland Study Group Foundation, a so-called ‘secessionist movement’.

The arrests is said to have taken place at Kpevedue and Fievue, a twin community on the Ghana-Togo border in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta Region.

But there are gaping holes in the story of the state security apparatus, as those arrested insisted that they were at the said training camp under the belief that they had been recruited and were being trained for the Ghana Armed Force, Ghana Police Service and other security agencies.

They revealed that, they were made to pay between GHC800 and GHC900 as the recruitment and enlistment fee, suggesting they might have been duped.

Indeed, their mobile phones have also been collected from them and taken away by the recruiters on entering the said training camp.

Interestingly, none of the recruiters and trainers of the 21 secessionist soldiers, were captured in the dawn swoop. They were said to have fled the camp by the time the military detachment got to the place under the cover of darkness to carry out the arrest.

The security team later told the media, that the leaders had absconded upon sensing danger when the military team invaded the camp at about 3 am on Monday.

Again, many of those arrested, who spoke to the media were not from the Volta region, although they were supposed to be operating under the sponsorship of Homeland Study Group Foundation, which is championing an independent Volta region. The breakaway army, according to media report had personnel coming from different parts of Ghana.

One of them believed to be in his 20s, said he was recruited from Dodowa in the Greater Accra region, by telephone after he was made to pay the recruitment fee.

Again, although some of those arrested told the selected media team from Accra, that they had been in the training camp for just three days prior to their arrests, the military, said it believes that the trainees been going through the paramilitary exercises for about eight days.

According to the military, the camp is believed to be operated by the Homeland Study Group Foundation, the secessionist group fighting for the independence of the then Western Togoland from Ghana led by an 85-year old man called Charles Kudzordzi alias “Papavi Hogbedetor” based in Ho, the Volta regional capital.

Upon interrogation, the arrested persons, said they were deceived to be enlisted into the Military and charged an entrance fee of ¢800.00, only to be brought to the said location for training.

The military believes the mind behind the camp and training of these people, might have some military background considering the sighting and set up of the camp.

The alleged trainees, have been airlifted to Accra and would be handed over to the police for further investigations.

Quite shockingly, pictures of the scene revealed some site burnt, suggesting destruction of evidence by the security detachment who did the arrest.

President Akufo-Addo is touring Oti and Volta regions, many suspect these arrests were staged to give the President something to talk about.

It also comes amid reports that the state security apparatus is struggling to build evidence against those arrested sometime last year to be planning coup against the Akufo-Addo government.

They were mostly from the Volta region and involving some soldiers, a medical officer and a respected senior police officer.

It also comes at a time, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) trucks, loaded with food items and student mattresses, were seen crossing into Togo for no apparent reason.

The six trucks with registration numbers; GE 9683-12, GV 1011-14, GV 1013-14, GV 1014-14, GV 1015-14, GV 1027-14, were being driven by drivers whose names were given as Owusu Amoako, Divine Wedzi, Amenyui Yaw Peter, Samuel Djanie and Legs Olaga, Stephen Ananag Tettey.

The convoy, also had an STC bus with some senior officers of NAMDO onboard.

There are claims that officials of NADMO, were on their way to Togo and that they were going to register some people in Lome on the Ghana Card.

Meanwhile, Charles Kudzordzi alias “Papavi Hogbedetor” who was granted bail, is said to have jumped bail and gone into hiding, although he has several times announced he was still in Ghana, after declaring the Volta region as Western Togoland.