Eric Opoku, former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister
Former Brong Ahafo Regional Minister and current Member of Parliament for Asunafo South Eric Opoku has given a chilly account of how he was attacked by a group he alleges to be aligned to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Sankore in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Some unidentified thugs allegedly assaulted the NDC MP and vandalized some of his properties and vehicles, and went after other known NDC executives in the Sankore area.
The armed men did not only vandalize properties but also reportedly inflicted cutlass wounds on 5 other persons believed to be sympathizers of the NDC, including the Chief of Sankore.
In an interview monitored by MYNEWSGH.com, Hon. Eric Opoku said on Friday 30th March he had a call from the Police Commander that he had sent a patrol team in the area for the Easter, and they will be changed by a diffrent set in the evening.
“Friday 30th March in the morning, the police commander told me he had a patrol team in the area and I should liaise with them… So around 7pm the patrol team had to be changed by another team”, He said on Adom T.V’s Badwam this morning, Monday.
He said when the new patrol team got to a junction in Sankore, they were accosted by the NPP thugs and told to go back. When they refused, they were beaten and their car seized. According to him, the fleeing leader of the Patrol team called him to narrate the incident to him.
“When they got to a junction, the team met the NPP youth who prevented them from entering the town. The youth beat up the Police men and took over the Police car with number GP 8763. They took the police vehicle and started using it. The police men fled the scene because of the severe beatings”, Eric Opoku narrated.
Asked by the program’s host if he was not exaggerating the incident and trying to paint the NPP youth who are against him as bad people, he said his version of events will not be different from what the police will say.
MYNEWSGH.com tried to reach the DCE for the area without success. Mr Aduse -Poku Frank, an influential NPP opinion leader in the constituency who is the Communications Director of NPP in that constituency and an Assistant to the Mr Osei-Bonsu, DCE of the area to get to his boss, also to no avail.
But Mr Eric Opoku maintains that he was telling the truth as even “The Police are saying the same thing”.
“So when the police were beaten, the patrol team retreated and didn’t come to Sankore”, he continued.
“So for a while when the report got to me, nothing happened, and I could not reach the Police Commander. I went into the town on Saturday to greet people for Easter when I started hearing gunshots and tried to call the police commander again but couldn’t reach him. I called the Patrol team leader who assured me he was coming back with his boys. I escaped home”. The MP said.
Mr Eric Opoku alleged that the boys were under the order of one George Boakye, the NPP parliamentary candidate he defeated in the last elections.
“The boys were George Boakye boys numbering 20 and they came to my house and gave warning shots and used cutlasses on my door but couldn’t open it” he said.
“From my house they went to Red’s house. Red is an NDC organizer. They took his money and tv and fridge and dstv decoder. They used cutlass to cut him seven times
“They then went to Thomas Amponsah’s house an NDC member and stole some items. They also used a knife on him.
“Then they went to another guy’s house called Jonah who was beaten too. They met a Pastor in Jonah house and seized his phone.
“They also went to my Uncle’s house who is a pastor and manhandled him before coming back to my house.
“When they came to my house it was locked and tried cutting my barb wires which was electrocuted so it was making noise. They threw stones into a house and fired shots at my gate but still couldn’t come inside.
“They then went to the Sankore chief house and beat him. I called the police commander and was able to get him.
“They then came back to my house around 1 am and this time they broke the main gate down and destroyed my Land Cruiser around 2.am and fired many shots into the house and destroyed the windows. The police came around that time around 3 am”.
The MP, who the host accused of partisanship in a sensitive national security said whatever he was saying was the truth.
He alleged that the leader of Musama Disco Christo church called him that the same NPP youth had attacked the church and were collecting valuables including phones and jeweleries from church members and needed his intervention as an MP. He alleged that the youth beat up the church members too.
Asked if the NPP youth’s attacks were not reprisals given how he the MP might have also used state power as then Regional Minister against George Boakye the NPP Candidate and his boys, Mr Eric Opoku said that could not be the case.
He revealed that when NDC was in power, some NDC youth attacked the NPP candidate, but the then ruling NDC swiftly dealt with them by arresting and incarcerating them. He said some were still in court over that case.
MyNewsGh.com is making efforts to reach the other side of the issue and will keep you posted.
