Madina NDC denies busted 'cocaine businessman'

Reports that arrested businessman, Alhaji Sani Dawood, alleged to have aided the smooth passage of three Ghanaian cocaine traffickers at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), once contested the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary in the Madina-Abokobi Constituency, has been shot down by the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP).

Alhaji Amadu Sorogho, in an interview with “The Herald” yesterday, debunked the claim, saying it can never be true that the said private man, who is alleged to have sponsored now jail-bird, Nayele Ametefe, and two other accomplices, Sadalia Nuhu and Nana Ama Amponsah to the United Kingdom (UK), ever contested him.

The MP, who was responding to the reports making the rounds said, the news about the said Alhaji was obviously inaccurate, because he has never set eyes on his supposed contender, who per the claim contested him in the party’s primary between 2000-2008.

Meanwhile, more names continue to make the rounds on the corridors of the state security agencies, as possible conspirators in the Ruby cocaine saga.

The names picked up by The Herald include, Charles Opoku-Darko, alias Chairman, said to be into real estate.

Charles is alleged to be in the Netherlands presently. Unconfirmed reports are that he fled the country following the arrest of Ruby and the others.

A certain Bonsu, has also been mentioned as an intimate partner of the arrested ladies, Nana Ama Amponsah, who travelled to London with Ruby. They are said to have a child together.

The names have been linked to areas and plush homes and residential areas such as Dzorwulu, East Legon, Spintex Road, Kumasi, Devtraco, Codco and Trassaco, among other places.

Some of the names have also been linked to prominent churches such as, Action Chapel International and Perez Chapel International among others, with some of those arrested, said to be vociferous prayer warriors.

It is not clear what their involvement in the cocaine saga is or people are just throwing in their names for personal vendetta.

Back to Madina, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho insisted, “I don’t know him, I just saw him in the newspapers and I looked at him, but I couldn’t make him out. I was just looking at his face in the papers so that when I meet him somewhere, I could blow alarm, but I can still say that I don’t know him”.

The NDC MP’s denial, comes on the heels of another claim that, Alhaji Dawood, is a sympathizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The confined businessman, is alleged to have been hired as a sub-contractor by the NPP, when it employed Indians to build the now Flagstaff House at Kanda, during the John Kufuor administration.

Explaining further to this paper, the MP, who expressed utmost surprise about the speculation said, from the time when the Constituency was created from the Ga West Constituency to Madina-Abokobi to present day Madina Constituency, no such person has ever surfaced from the NDC to contest him.

He recalled that in the 2000 primary which he contested for the first time, it was one Anum Yemoh Dawood, but he was quick to add that his contender, wasn’t the same person as the arrested Alhaji Dawood.

Alhaji Sorogho revealed that Mr. Anum Yemoh Dawood, is the incumbent NDC MP for Obom-Domeabra Constituency, in the Greater Accra Region.

“I have never met him, I have been the candidate ever since the Constituency was created in 2000, but I have never set my eyes on him. I don’t know what they are talking about,” he charged, adding that “there was one Dawood Anum Yemoh, probably that is the one they are mistaking. But he contested me in 2000, and he is now the MP for Obom-Domeabra, yes he contested me, so I don’t know this Dawood they are talking about”.

Asked if there had been any other Dawood aside the one he mentioned, the MP responded, “not at all, I have never contested with any Dawood, Dawood what, he questioned”. The legislator’s explanation was further corroborated by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Madina, Franklin Anku, who was present when the MP spoke to The Herald.

In an another interview with the Propaganda Secretary for the Madina Constituency, Jacob Asufolim, he also denied the speculation, saying no such party member has ever contested in the Constituency.

Mr. Asufolim told this paper that in 2000, Alhaji Sorogho was contested by Dawood Anum Yemoh, then in 2004, he was contested by one Nasser Adam, in 2008 he said, the MP went into the general elections through popular acclamation.

He continued that in the last elections, the veteran MP was contested by Hajia Rukaya, who is now domiciled in the United States of America (USA).

“I am speaking from the fact that, that man has never been part of this Constituency, from our migration from when we were Ga West to Madina-Abokobi to Madina Constituency, we have never seen such a person in our Constituency. I am the Constituency Propaganda Secretary, and I have the archives with me, there is nothing like that,” he assured.

Meanwhile, Workers of KELM Engineering Limited– a Kanda-based multi-national company in Accra, near Nima–have expressed shock at the alleged involvement of their Business Development Manager in drug trafficking, STARR FM’s Paa Kwesi Asare reports.

Alhaji Muhammed Alamid Dawood, is alleged to have been the brain behind the latest cocaine haul involving a lady courier, Nayele Ametefeh, who was arrested on November 10, 2014 at London’s Heathrow Airport with a 12.5-kg cocaine consignment.

Dawood’s arrest, took place at the KIA, upon arrival from Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday November 30, 2014.

Ametefeh, who is currently in the custody of UK authorities, recently appeared before the Isleworth Crown Court in London, where she pleaded guilty and demanded an early sentence. The Court, however, deferred sentencing to January 5, 2015.

The Management of KELM Engineering Limited, which deals in mechanical and electrical installations, has decided to remain silent on the matter.

Starr FM reports that a visit to KELM Engineering revealed that Management plans issuing a statement in the coming days.

Muhammed Dawood’s arrest brings to about 20, the number of people picked up so far by the security agencies over the Nayele alias Ruby Appiah alias Ruby Addo alias Ruby Adu-Gyamfi alias Angel, cocaine saga.

Three of those arrested have been charged with abetment of crime, exportation of narcotic drugs, contrary to sections 56 (c) and 1 (1) of the Narcotic Drugs (Control, Enforcement and Sanctions) Act, 1990 (PNDC law 236).

They include, a deputy director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abiel Ashitey Armah, Ahmed Abubakar, Protocol Officer and Kissi Theophilus.

The others are, Nana Akua Amponsah and Sadalia Sandra Nuhu, the women who had travelled with Ametefeh, but were said to have abandoned their luggage and absconded from the Heathrow International Airport on realising that Ametefeh, , had been arrested by officials of Her Majesty’s Border Agency.

The rest include, Paa Kwesi Acquah, Sandra’s boyfriend; Mustapha Kilba, a cousin of Akua Amponsah, and Faisal Khadar, an American.