IGP’s name used in dirty landguard job

The Herald’s investigation, has established the identity of a powerful man, who is moving round bragging and using the name of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), James Oppong Boanuh, to engage in land guard activities at East Legon.

The man, Dr. Garland Seawright Dodoo, who is a medical practitioner working at DEL hospital, engaged the services of personnel of the Ghana Police Service to partner some notorious land guards to carry out series of illegal demolition at mid-night, whiles everyone was asleep.

Dr. Dodoo, is said to have openly boasted that, the IGP is his ‘special friend’ and has his ears, and therefore, nobody can do anything to him, about his reprehensible activities.

The marauding land guards, carried out their operation on three different occasions at the same site, with the help of uniform police officers from the operational command of the national headquarters, this year alone. They had their faces fully masked.

The first incident occurred on the mid-night of Saturday, January 5, this year, whiles the second and third ones happened in broad daylight, on Saturday, January 7 and Tuesday, January 14, 2020 respectively, on a parcel of land numbered as Plot No. 167A, situated at Ambassadorial Enclave of East Legon in Accra.

The officers numbering five, who accompanied these land guards, came with a police vehicle and government pickups; but often parked it far away at a hidden place, ostensibly to avoid being recognised.

The violent land guards, completely destroyed the entire structure being put up, tortured a security man at the site by name Nicholas Ocquaye, popularly called “JJ”, and allegedly robbed him of his money, meant to be given to workers.

The land guards had initially claimed they are from the national security secretariat, but shockingly took to their heels, when the owner of the property, contacted the national security hierarchy to verify their claim.

Not satisfied, they later appeared again to carry out their second and third operation, but they were arrested by a top officer from the national security and taken to the East Legon Police Station.

The names of the civilian suspects were given as; Ibrahim Mohammed (alias Gadon), Mamud Iddris, Zakari Muntari (alias Dealer), Nuhu Salam, Awal Mohammed, Musah Amadu, Ibrahim Tanko, Sallden Sharif, Umar Saed, Nurudeen Alhassan, Fata Suleman and Sule Ibrahim.

Interestingly, names of the police personnel have not given, and several efforts by this reporter to get their names, ranks and unit from the East Legon Police, proved futile as officers at the station declined to give out their identities.

The Herald, has gathered that, on two instances, the civilian suspects, were ordered to be released within a blink of eyes, after their statements were taken.

It was at this point that, the complainant in the case petitioned the headquarters to take over the case which is now being handled at CID headquarters by one detective, corporal (D/cpl) Augustine Dery.

The property in question, is on a 0.41 acre land, belonging to an estate developer by name, Charles Opoku-Darko.

Mr Opoku-Darko, became the rightful owner of the said piece of land, after he successfully won two court judgements last year, both at the High Court and Appeal Court.

The most recent of such judgements, is an Appeal Court ruling, a copy of which is available to The Herald, with Appeal No. HI/163/2016 and dated November 23, 2019.

It is, however, unclear, the senior police officers who may have interest in the case and have been sending the junior officers to be accompanying the land guards to perpetuate their dastardly operations.

When The Herald visited the East Legon Police Station last Thursday, January 23, the police declined to comment on the matter, but directed this reporter to contact the CID headquarters for details. They, however, confirmed the arrest of the said land guards and the police officers.

The suspects, East Legon police told this reporter, were released on an “order from above ”from the national headquarters. The order, also instructed them to release the equipment, including bulldozer and other items seized from the suspects at the site.

The Herald, is also learning that a certain junior officer, one corporal Douglas Addy, stationed at the Property Fraud Unit CID at the headquarters, who has interest in the said parcel of land, is the one allegedly assisting Dr. Dodoo to execute his agenda.

But what is more interesting is that, Dr. Dodoo, who reportedly engineered the land guards to perpetuate the illegality, rather run to the media to play the victim by crying foul.

Last week, he got the New Crusading Guide newspaper to publish a story, alleging that an NDC Regional Vice Chair, one Ibrahim Jajah and Opoku Darko, have been involved in a so-called land scam.

Meanwhiles, lawyers for the two, Messrs Opoku Darko and Ibrahim Jajah, The Herald is informed are preparing to drag the newspaper and its editors to court for defamation to clear their names.