Open Letter to the Inspector General of Police

Dear Sir,

I would like to convey to your attention the attitude of some of your police personnel towards the peaceful and law-abiding citizens of Kumawuman, the land of my birth. Being a native of Kumawu with the avowed intent to be of service to my people, my country and humanity, I cannot continue to sit on the fence while some police personnel have relish for persistently intimidating the good people of Kumawuman without any credible cause. Subsequently, my desire to notify you about the seemingly unprofessional, prejudicial and corrupt attitudes of the police personnel involved. Their behaviour has the potential to increase the already tainted public perception about the police, if not a recipe for disaster; a ticking time bomb of course.

Since the alleged enstoolment of one Dr Yaw Sarfo by Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Asanteman Council, on 30 October 2014, amid proven breaches of constitutional and conventional laws of Ghana, the police have not ceased terrorising the people of Kumawuman, especially, those in Kumawu and Bodomase. For you to ascertain the truthfulness of my assertions, I shall refer you to the underlying web links that are to be read in conjunction with watching some videos posted on YouTube.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=338032

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=336870

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=347504

The videos on YouTube are titled, "Asantehene involves in corruption", "Barima Tweneboa Kodua V**the real Kumawuhene Parts I & II", "Kumawuman Embraces New Omanhene Barima Tweneboa Kodua V".

The Ashanti Regional Police Commander Nathan Kofi Boakye has taken sides in the ongoing Kumawu chieftaincy dispute contrary to known and existing rules and regulations debarring the police from any such involvements. He has boldly stated to some people without mincing words that although he is very much aware of the laws, in Ashanti region, things operate differently.

He has continually been dispatching police personnel to Kumawu as a show of force intended to prop the position of the illegally installed Kumawuhene, Dr Yaw Sarfo, who goes by the stool name Barimah Sarfo Tweneboah Koduah. He is doing this despite the pendency of law suits in various courts in Ashanti region challenging the legitimacy of his instalment as Omanhene.

In the absence of any conflict, or lack of obvious signs of looming conflict, is there any need for reinforcing the presence of heavily armed police in Kumawu in near-permanent basis? What is the motive of those dispatching the massively armed police personnel to Kumawu? Is it to threaten the citizens?

Are the Ghana police for hire to certain individuals to carry out the wishes of those hiring them? Are police assigned to protect chiefs even when their lives are not threatened? How many chiefs in Ghana are freely allowed the use of the police as done by Dr Yaw Sarfo, the purported Kumawuhene?

My research into Ghana chieftaincy has shown that places like Tuobodom in the Brong-Ahafo region, Suhyen in the Eastern region and sometime ago, Accra in the Greater Accra region, have or had two chiefs at a time. None of the chiefs is, or was, threatened by the police unlike it is pertaining in Kumawu. Why has Kumawu become so exceptional to the other mentioned places, in case the people decide to have two chiefs, pledge allegiance to whomever each citizen chooses to go along with? Why is Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V, the more famous and popular, real royal, among the two, is constantly plotted against by the DCOP Kofi Boakye police using the Effiduase Divisional Police Commander Appiah now reassigned to Bekwai?

It is strongly the belief among many Kumawuman people that the police in collusion with Dr Yaw Sarfo and Kumawuhemaa had arranged some strangers, macho men of course, to disrupt Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V's "akwasidae" celebrations on 12 April 2015. The police had come to Kumawu from Effiduase in their numbers, lay in wait to arrest Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V and his sub-chiefs and supporters if they reacted violently had the contracted persons come to do exactly as tasked.

Their plan was foiled by the timely intervention of God. Barimah Tweneboah Koduah V decided not to celebrate the occasion, having been alerted. For how long are we as people of Kumawuman, going to recoil into the shelf like tortoise because of the malicious intents by the police to involve themselves partially in our chieftaincy affairs?

It is also alleged that DCOP Kofi Boakye has accepted a thank you gift of a sheep and GHc10, 000 from Kumawuhemaa and Dr Yaw Sarfo? Could that be the basis for his display of wanton disregard for the ethos of police profession, the rules and regulations preventing them from involving in, let alone, taking sides in chieftaincy disputes?

Sir, please rein DCOP Kofi Boakye and his police force before they cause a major catastrophe in Kumawuman. For the people cannot, and will not, remain cowed all of the time by Kofi Boakye. When you threaten a coward all of the time, they may one day muster courage to fight back with unimaginable ferocity to the shock of whoever may hear it.

It is my greatest expectation to see you summon Kofi Boakye to your office about his attitude to the Kumawu chieftaincy case before he sparks major conflict in Kumawuman. He has absolutely no mandate to legitimise the illegal enthronement of Dr Yaw Sarfo as Kumawuhene through brute show of force as it is his purpose now.

Yours faithfully,

Rockson Adofo