National Security’s clandestine moves to Gag Paper exposed

DEMOCRAT VRS SECURITY BOSS … As Much Awaited Letter of Complaint to NMC is received

The New National Democrat has officially been notified of the complaint lodged by Mr. J. K. Mensah, who claims to be the director of the Research Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The NMC letter was signed by Alexander Bannerman and dated Monday, May 19, 2008. In the said letter of complaint, the Director of external Intelligence described our reportage concerning his outfit and his handling of affairs as “scurrilous press attacks … against members of my family, my personal integrity and professional competence”.

While the New National Democrat was patiently waiting for the delivery of this official letter, certain developments took place. Intelligence sources in the Castle informed the paper of series of meetings by the security chiefs to ensure that we are stopped from reporting on National Security. The sources revealed how a member of the National Media Commission has been pressurized to quicken the case and ensure that our defence if any at all is dismissed as lacking merit.

As part of the plot to gag us from reporting on National Security issues, more precisely the misuse of the contingency fund, an emissary has been sent to the editor to threaten him about the consequences of trying to expose sleaze in the outfit. As if that was not enough, the contact, who appears to be exude so much enthusiasm about being seen as the key to the paper’s disclosures got terribly disappointed when the editor told him ‘to go and hang’.

It is important for the people of Ghana to be informed of the subtle threats from Security Bosses to the extent their contact claimed they are prepared to harm the Editor and damn the consequences. The Editor, however, maintained that ‘all every human being who accepted to be born on this planet called Earth has an appointment with death’. He stated that he is neither afraid to die nor intimidated by people whose only strength is derived from being in position of power and influence.

According to him, the editorial team has a collective responsibility to defend what is righteous and truthful. He adds “the NMC might not be aware that l had been contacted by one lady and a gentleman acting on the express instructions of some security chiefs. They came to dangle carrots before me but l spurned their offer. I have also met very top men in the Security System at which a lot has been discussed about my job, the risks and the undermining in the top echelon of national security as well as the greed of some of the security chiefs”.

The New National Democrat Editor, looking very relaxed dropped hints of producing hard evidence of all the detailed communication between him and some security chiefs in the system and others connected to them prove a point. In doing this, he has assured of protecting the much treasured intelligence sources. While the New National Democrat lawyers are studying J. K. Mensah’s complaint, the editor is of the view that the NMC lacks the capacity to mediate in this on-going imbroglio because of the security dimension it has assumed. “We are sitting on very sensitive security and intelligence information. If they want us to put them out in the public domain for consumption, then we shall do so”, he cautioned. Meanwhile, the editor has revealed that the paper will send its reaction to the NMC letter within a week from the day it was delivered. He wants to assure the readers of more information on how the resources are being used in all sectors of governance. To this end, our intelligence sources dropped hints of secret meetings between a security operative and a gentleman in a plush residence located within the choicest area of Labone at which they discussed planting stories in the media about plots to implicate some innocent persons in a destabilization plot.

In a related development, discreet checks by our intelligence sources indicate that Mr. J. K. Mensah included the self-authored insidious article under the pseudonym Victor Lantey Vanderpuye, published in the Daily Graphic among the stockpile of New National Democrat articles on National Security. He, however, disingenuously left out those he surreptitiously planted in the Ghanaian Times and the Independent newspapers.