Aminu Abubakar, aged 40, has been arrested here for allegedly being in possession of 56 voters? registration slips and 14 voters? photo identity cards.
Abubakar, popularly called ?Dollar? was arrested at dawn on Saturday by a joint police-and-military team that raided addresses in the Aboabo and Dagomba Line suburbs of Kumasi.
During the operation, the team also arrested Mohammed Alfa Saba, aged 55, who was found in possession of one locally manufactured pistol and a number of shotgun cartridges, and Abdulai Umaru, aged 70 and popularly called ?Chairman?, on whom the team found an unlicensed pump-action shotgun.
Three other suspects, Issah Adams, 34, and Dasiru Tahiru, 38, were arrested. A police source told the ?Times? on Tuesday that the arrests were made in connection with a special operation to rid the city of criminals and misfits, and that the suspects would be placed before court once investigations had been concluded.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Region Police Commander, Mr Ofosu Mensah Gyeabour, said in a release issued on Tuesday that the arrests were not politically motivated as was being rumoured in some quarters. He said the operation was part of an effect to ensure the preservation of a secure and peaceful atmosphere for the people of Kumasi.
Mr Gyeabour said the police in the region would not get involved in either party politics or ethnic issues, but would remain scrupulously neutral in the performance of their duties.
