Row Over Removal of Security Minister

Inspector General of Police, Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong yesterday called a public forum to expose the lies the former National Security Minister, Mr. Francis Poku had told about him.

"It is a big lie they said that I and Mr. Yaw Adu-Gyimah (Director General of Police in charge of Services) had gone to the house of Ex-president J.J Rawlings at Adjiringano," he blasted.

Speaking on Peace Fm's Kokrokoo morning show in reaction to certain statements that were made earlier against him by the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper and a staunch member of the Committee for Joint Action, he noted that the police presence at the official residence of Mr. Francis Poku was dramatized by a section of the public.

Contrary to accusations made by Mr. Pratt that Mr. Poku had been placed under house arrest, he reiterated that "we did not go there to arrest him, if we wanted to arrest him nothing could have prevented us, if anyone breaks the law, nothing can hinder us from arresting the person, if we are going to arrest someone, the presence of Mr. Pratt or Owula Mangoatey could not hinder us."

He noted that the incidence which took place at the residence of the embattled security capo has been taken as a "drama or concert" by some personalities he does not want to associate himself with.

According to him Kwesi Pratt was on air saying that General Danquah (Chief of Defense Staff) had expressed concern about the way Francis Poku, who had worked immensely for Ghana was being treated. The IGP continued: "if you have discussed something with a big shot, it is not right to go on air to discuss it the way Mr. Pratt had done, because, if Gen. Danquah really made such a statement then the inference is that besides him there is someone in the Military who has the authority to order the removal of military guards and replace them with police, so, it is not fair for Kwesi Pratt to make such a statement."

He asked: "do you want Gen. Danquah to come on air now and deny or confirm the statement made by Kwesi Pratt?"

The IGP said they had a lot of security information that compelled them to send such a large number of police officers to Mr. Poku's residence. He would, however, not make the information public.

"This is our problem, the national security has a lot of information but the problem is that when you become a member of the security council you swear an oath of secrecy and so you cannot make such information public; if, Kwesi has comments he should ask them what happened at the President's residence on Saturday, " he raged.

When the host of the programme, M. Kwami Sefa-Kayi requested to know whether he was on good terms with Mr. Poku, the IGP responded: "we just went to work for the government; people have been saying he dislikes me, but that is his own problem."

He pleaded with Kwami for losing his cool but attributed it to the lies Mr. Poku had told people about him.

Mr. J.B. Danquah, Chief of Defence Staff, on his part said the country needed peace and so there should not be any blame game and used the platform to register his protest against statements that Mr. Pratt attributed to him.

He said there was information that Mr. Poku threatened to shoot if the police attempted to guard his house so they had to send more police officers to maintain peace and order. He pleaded with Mr. Poku to cooperate with the government and quit the national security if he has the country at heart.