Secret armouries: Who owns them?

The Ghanaian Chronicle says suspicions that caches of arms, that could be used to threaten national security, are stored in armouries outside the control of the security services found echo in Parliament, last Friday as Minority MP quizzed the Minister responsible for National Security, Mr Kofi Totobi Quakyi, during question time.

The Chronicle says the House heard that arms are kept at Kowus warehouse at Tema, Asutsuare, and in silos at Agogo and demands were made for immediate action to reassure Ghanaians hat they could be safe from such weapons.

According to the paper, the issue of the arms discovered in the houses of President Jerry Rawlings' cousin, Michael Soussoudis and Tony Gbeho, also resounded with the MPs seeking to know how the matter was dealt with.

The paper says the concerns were touched off by a question by Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, MP for Yendi, who had asked the Minister whether he was aware that besides the Army and Police armouries, there were other places in Accra and other parts of Ghana where weapons were stored and if so, under whose control.

The MP is said to have also demanded what concrete steps were taken when caches of arms were discovered in the houses of Soussoudis and Gbeho. The Chronicle says replying, Mr Quakyi said he was unaware of the arms outside the control of the Army and Police, he, however, thanked the MP for the information on Kowus warehouse at Tema and Asutsuare and promised to investigate.

The paper says on Soussoudis and Gbeho, Mr Quakyi said some actions were taken but he would have to refer to the records to know exactly what they were.