Victim of Dutch Diplomat Brutality Tells His Story

Twenty-five-year-old Musah Issifu, the "Safetech" security guard, who was lashed with a locally-made cutlass (Langalanga) by a Dutch diplomat, at 2 p.m. yesterday stormed the Chronicle offices to give a detailed account of what happened on that fateful day.

According to him, last Monday was the second day that he was sent to the diplomat's residence at "Location 363", a house directly opposite the Indian High Commission.

Readers would recall that the Chronicle issue of Wednesday, January 8, reported that a "Safetech" security guard on duty in the residence of a Dutch diplomat was seriously beaten up by the latter.

While "Safetech" confirmed the story and claimed to have lodged a complaint with the Dutch Embassy and that the complainant went to the Embassy with the victim, the latter flatly denied knowledge of the issue when contacted yesterday. This also confirms what Musah told Chronicle when he came, "that I had never been to the Embassy with any official of "Safetech".

Again when "Safetech" managers had told Musah yesterday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was investigating the issue, the latter denied knowledge when contacted. Mr. Mawutor, of the Legal and Consular Bureau of Foreign Affairs Ministry said he knew about the story through Chronicle and that was all.

Musah, a native of Bauku, Upper-East Region, who lives at Mamobi, a suburb of Accra, said around 11:00 am in the house, he was sitting in a chair when one of the diplomat's dogs went to stand by him. The dog began to disturb him so he pushed it because "I was afraid of it".

The wife of the diplomat who was about to go out saw him pushing the dog so she became furious. "She started shouting, "if you don't take care I will cause your dismissal, when your supervisors come, tell them to change you because I don't want to come back to meet you here" said the woman according to Musah.

When the woman came back, he was still in the house and according to him; she immediately started talking to someone on her mobile phone and went straight into the sitting room. "About 20 minutes later, her husband also blew his horn and I quickly went and opened the gate," he said.

"On hearing the noise of the husband's vehicle, the woman came back from the room and said something to the husband which I did not hear", said the guard.

The husband then turned, stretched his hand and said "Hei Black dog, come here. I did not mind because I thought he was referring to the dog but he repeated and said 'you security man come hear."

Musah said while the wife was shedding tears, the first question the man asked was "what did you do to madam" and that before he could explain, the diplomat slapped him and held his neck. "I also held his neck" and the wife who had already gone for the cutlass began to beat me with it whiles the husband used his hand.

"In the ensuing struggle, the Dutch lost one of his shirt buttons and the same happened to me. The husband was then shouting, "you would pay for my shirt and the wife continued to hit me with the langalanga.

"I therefore shouted for help when people around came to stand behind the wall until the patrolmen came to rescue me. "While I was insisting on going to a police station after