Police boss threatens Chronicle reporter

A SENIOR staff reporter of The Chronicle, Simmons Yussif Kewura, has found himself in the wrong books of the Bekwai Divisional Police Commander, Chief Supt. Akomeah Apraku, following a story exposing unprofessional conduct on the part of some police personnel dispatched to maintain law and order in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.

Chief Supt. Apraku has warned The Chronicle reporter that “he would see the bad side of him” for publishing the purported story to denigrate the police officers (including him Supt. Apraku), involved in the act that occurred a few weeks ago.

In a hot telephone exchange that lasted almost five minutes, the agitated Divisional Commander, who is reportedly in hot soup, used unprintable words at the reporter and threatened to deal with him. In the Tuesday edition of The Chronicle, the paper carried a story in which a team of police officials, who undertook a fact-finding tour of the Amansie West District, following a clash between youth of the Nsiana community and some illegal Chinese galamsey operators, were alleged to have compromised the fundamental objective of their mission.

According to the story, which was carried exclusively by the paper, the Bekwai Divisional Commander’s vehicle with registration number GP 2873, was reported to have run short of diesel and without hesitation, asked the Chinese illegal miners, who were under investigation for fuel, which the latter happily obliged.

The situation, according to the report, was said to have angered some journalists and observers who accompanied the police on the trip, since the behaviour of the security personnel fell flat in the face of logic.

The concern was that the police could not do any proper investigation by soiling their hands, thus by deciding to receive assistance from a party to an investigation, the police appeared to have compromised their position as neutral arbiters.

However, Chief Supt. Apraku ironically did not see anything wrong with the action of the police but rather found everything wrong with the decision of our investigative reporter, to file the story, resulting in the altercation and the subsequent threat by the police boss.

The drama started when Chief Supt. Apraku called one of the correspondents of the paper in Kumasi, asking for the contact number of Yussif Kewura, which the reporter kindly gave out.

Kewura narrated that when the police chief called him and said he wanted to discuss the story with him, but Kewura told t he police boss that it was not allowed as an organizational policy to discuss stories without seeking approval from his editor.

The Divisional Police Commander then called the editor to seek permission to thrash out issues with Kewura.

After finally receiving clearance to discuss the story with the reporter, it ended up on a bad note, with the two going ballistic on the other end of the phone.

The conversation, as narrated by the reporter, went like this: .

Chief Supt. Apraku: “Yeah, this is Chief Supt. Akomeah Apraku of Bekwai Division”

Kewura: “Yeah, what can I do for you please?”

Chief Supt. Apraku: “What sort of nonsense did you write in your paper today, you think you people at Chronicle can just sit in your office and write nonsense, huh, I am telling you, you can’t do that to me”.

At this juncture, Kewura also replied the commander, bragging that he cannot be intimidated.

The incensed Divisional Commander then warned “Wait and you will see the bad side of me,” dropping the line and cutting short the conversation.

Meanwhile, Kewura said he was considering making official complaint to the police, stating that he will also present all the necessary evidence including pictures regarding the case to the security agency.