By THE KINGMAKERS and residents of Denkyira Oboasi, in the Upper Denkyira West District of the Central region are yet to come to terms with the refusa of the Ghana Police Service to support the investigations into an attempted kidnapping and assassination of one Osmanu Nti (popularly known as Mallam) by Nana Adjei Nyedie, chief in the area who perceived Mr. Nti as a threat to the throne.
The move to kidnap and assassinate Mallam, however, led to the lynching of one of the three macho men (Ebenezer Kpakpo Adotey) who were allegedly hired by Nana Nyedie to assassinate him. It also led to one of them being arrested (Ben Blankson) while the other bolting away one Prosper K.
According to the Kingmakers, Nana Nyedie is a self-imposed chief on the people and hence, his plans to eliminate those he believes are the ultimate persons to occupy the stool. Further checks have showed that the chief is not popular among the people and as such, he invariably goes to the town surrounded by macho men.
The outburst of the Kingmakers and residents is borne out of the fact that there is tension and fear in the town and as a result, the lives of the people are threatened because of the e inaction of the Police in spite of the fact that Nana Nyedie was said to have confirmed to the barbaric act to the Police that he indeed deployed those macho men to the town but has since been left off the hook pestering their lives in the area.
What is also worrying according to them is that, the case involving Blankson was transferred secretly to the Homicide Unit of the CID Headquarters in Accra without the knowledge of Mallam who is supposed to be the first prosecution witness in the matter.
According to the Kingmakers, what is more disturbing is that in 1973, Mallam’s uncle, Opanin Yaw Asare was kidnapped from his room and killed in a similar chieftaincy dispute involving the Nana Nyedie’s uncle, also known as Nana Kwanin, and no arrest had since been made till date and it was this reason that has put them into fear and panic, since they do not know who might be the next victim.
A petition sent to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), by the Kingmakers of Denkyira Oboasi Ahenfie, dated June 25, 2012, and which was sighted by the paper captured and confirmed the incident.
According to the petition, Nana Nyedie is using every dubious means to impose himself on the people of Denkyira but they do not recognize him.
“On April 13, 2012 he (the chief), his brother-in-law, Alex Antwi Adjei and his linguist, Okyeame Asare hired the three macho men who posed themselves as National Security operatives to kidnap and kill Osmanu Nti (Mallam) and others who were perceived to be a threat to his enstoolment.
“At about 3:00 am of April 13, 2012 the macho men were led by Kojo Fordjour, a brother to the linguist, Yaw Nsowah, a nephew of the chief and Kwame Nyarkoh to the house of the Mallam, which is about some few kilometres away from the chief’s house,” the petition noted.
Narrating his ordeal to the paper, the victim who explained that he was in his house together with the wife sleeping and only to hear a knock on his door and when he opened the door, he met three men with one holding a pump action gun, claiming to be National Security personnel and had been directed to bring him to Accra.
According to him, even though he felt very jittery, he pleaded with the supposed National Security personnel to allow him change into some decent attire since he was only in a boxer shot they would not allow him to do that, but rather, forcefully bungled and tried to handcuff him.
He said whilst struggling with him, his wife jumped over the mouldings of his house and they confronted those macho men and in the process two of them managed to run away leaving Blankson who was wielding a pump action gun.
Luck however eluded Ebenezer Kpakpo Adotey as he was apprehended by the town folks and was lynched but Prosper managed to escape. This was as a result of the fact that (deceased) did not know the corners of the town and according to Mallam, those miscreants had before their operation put off the transformer in the town, plunging the community into total darkness.
According to our investigations, the late Adotey who lived in Osu, was operating a drinking bar around the Kelewele Junction near the African Market. He left behind a wife and three children. Since his demise, his shop has been sold out, whilst the wife and children struggle to make ends meet.
According to Mallam, Blankson was overpowered by the people and the gun was taken away from him, and that, whilst subjecting him to beating, he confessed that they were contracted by the chief and his brother-in-law, Alex Antwi Adjei to kidnap and kill him (Mallam).
Upon further interrogation, Blankson revealed that the gun was given to them by Mr. Adjei with his initials (A.A.A) on it, saying that, they were to be paid GH¢1, 500. 00 each after the operation.
Mallam told the paper that, the District Police Command in the area was informed of the incident and they came and took the arrested macho man and the dead body away.
He said “later we heard that the case has been transferred to the Divisional Police Command at Assin-Fosu, and when we went there for a follow up, they told us that the case had been taken over by the Homicide Unit of the CID Headquarters in Accra.”
In the petition, the Kingmakers sought to find out “Why almost two years into the incident the Police have refused to arrest and charge Nana Nyedie in spite of the confessions by Blankson before the District Commander-Mr. Larbi, the District Crime Officer, Chief Inspector-Mr. Adu Kwabena and District BNI Officer-Mr. Augustine Ofori, that they were contracted by Nana Nyedie to carry out the operation.”
According to Mallam, what is so worrying is the fact that when they tried to make a follow up on the matter, they were informed that the case was in the courts in Accra without his nor his Lawyer’s knowledge, a situation he described as justice denied them since they were not present in the court as the first prosecution witness.
According to the petition, Nana Nyedie who is imposing himself on the people, had bragged that he had confessed to the District Police Commander that he personally brought those macho men to the town and wondered why no charges had been levelled against him.
They, therefore, called for proper investigations into the matter and perpetrators be brought to book to allow peace prevail in the area, since the continuous self-imposition of the chief is a threat to peace and security.
