NDC Guru Arrested For Kidnapping

A TOP activist and financier of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Unas Owusu has been arrested by the police in Techiman for allegedly kidnapping and mercilessly beating up a supporter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Unas Owusu, with the help of Tanko Salifu, another NDC activist, thumped the victim until he defecated in his pants.

The local NDC chiefs were said to have beaten the NPP man to pulp over the voter-registration exercise, triggering their arrest.

The Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Seth Charles Oteng, ordered the transfer of the case to Sunyani, following alleged threats by supporters of the NDC to burn down the Techiman Police Station.

Briefing DAILY GUIDE, the Police Commander disclosed that the two suspects would be brought before court, while investigation continued.

Unas, a businessman, was however said to have collapsed while being taken to court yesterday, prompting the postponement of the case to today, as he was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The Commander warned all political parties to abide strictly by the registration laws and stop creating unnecessary tension and resorting to violence at the registration centres. He appealed for calm in all parts of the region.

Earlier, the Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of NPP, Kwasi Adu Gyan had informed journalists at a press briefing that on Saturday August 2, the suspects, Unas aka UNESCO and Salifu, organized some thugs to terrorize registration applicants at some centres at Akrofrom in the Techiman North Constituency, bringing the whole exercise to an abrupt end.

Mr. Adu Gyan said some supporters of NPP in Techiman had wanted to fight back but the leadership was able to restrain them.

He narrated that in the evening of Saturday, Unas and his group went to the Royal Gold School owned by the NPP Chairman for Techiman North, kidnapped two boys and subjected them to severe beatings.

According to Mr. Adu Gyan, the boys were later sent to Nkoranza and brought back to the NDC office at Techiman where they were beaten again till one of them (name withheld) defecated on his body.

The NPP Chairman told journalists that he and other party members were at the Techiman Police Station to lodge a complaint about the missing NPP supporters when Unas, accompanied by some NDC members, brought the two kidnapped boys to the police station.

Mr. Adu Gyan said later when the victims were sent to the Holy Family Hospital, Unas and Salifu, who had been granted police enquiry bail, went and mobilized NDC youth to go to the hospital and brutalize the two injured NPP supporters again.

It took police re-enforcement from Wenchi to calm down a situation that would have led to bloodshed in Techiman.

In another development, two leading members of the NDC and NPP have clashed over the ongoing registration exercise in the Asutifi South Constituency.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, Collins Dauda clashed with his opponent, NPP parliamentary candidate, Yiadom Boakye Boateng over who was transporting voters to register in the constituency.

Hon Dauda alleged that Boateng imported unknown persons from Ahafo Ano North, Asutifi North and Asunafo North who he camped at a hotel.

Boateng vehemently denied the allegation and accused Collins Dauda of fomenting trouble in the constituency.

According to him, it was the NDC MP who imported people from Moshie Zongo and other zongo communities in Ashanti to register there.

He told journalists that the MP was also using machomen to prevent people believed to be NPP supporters from registering.

Hon Dauda on his part said he had reported the conduct of the NPP candidate to the relevant bodies such as the District Electoral Officer for the area, Rev. Osei Bonsu Nsiah and the Asutifi District Police Command.

Rev. Nsiah, in a telephone interview, said although his outfit had received a complaint from the MP, he could not handle the issue of alleged harbouring of applicants in a hotel because the EC's jurisdiction did not go beyond registration centres.

He stated that various party agents at the registration centres were there to check malfeasances such as doubting the applicant's qualification.

"The agent therefore could pick a challenge form to protest against the applicant."

Rev. Nsiah quoted Article C1 of the electoral law section 12b which said if someone protested against an applicant, the process could still go ahead.

He explained that the applicant's details would remain in possession of the EC until a review committee sits to decide on the qualification of the applicant.

The Asutifi District Electoral Officer admitted that there was tension at some spots in the district, namely Nkesiem, Dadiesoaba and Acherensua.

He told DAILY GUIDE that at Acherensua, where some boys were trying to foment trouble, he sent police personnel there to caution those taking the law into their own hands.

He also warned that it was wrong for anyone to physically prevent any other person from registering.