• According to a security analyst, the outgoing IGP, James Oppong-Boanuh, plans on promoting the acting IGP
• He said he got the information from the office of the outgoing IGP
Security Analyst, Adam Bonaa, is asking the outgoing Inspector General of the Ghana Police Service, James Oppong-Boanuh, to hold off any intent of issuing promotions for officers in his remaining days in office.
According to the security analyst, information available to him from the IGP’s office indicates that Mr Boanuh whose terminal leave commences on August 1 ahead of his retirement on October 7, 2021, is set to promote some Junior and Senior Police Officers before he vacates his position.
In an interview with GhanaWeb, Mr Bonaa averred that should the IGP undertake such an act, he will be tying the hands of his successor, COP George Akuffo Dampare.
“What I am hearing is that the outgoing IGP is about promoting some officers; Lower Rank Officers, Other Rank Officers and Some Senior Officers. Even though the intention may be good, I am aware that for Senior Officers to be promoted, it must go through the Police Council. As we speak, the Police Council chaired by the Vice President has not been inaugurated and so technically speaking there is no Police Council, and so there cannot be promotions like that,” he said in an interview with GhanaWeb.
“Coupled with the fact that he has only few days to go, you don’t do that. If there is anything like that and he goes ahead to do it, it will almost be like he is tying the incoming IGP’s hands behind him, almost making it impossible for him to work. And so I would urge that the outgoing IGP should not do any promotions if he has any intentions of doing that,” he added.
The Presidency on July 21, 2021, announced that the President has instructed the current IGP to embark on terminal leave pending his retirement from the Police Service.
The statement further directed COP Dampare to take over as acting IGP with effect from Sunday, August 1, 2021.
According to Adam Bonaa, the outgoing IGP if he has any intention of issuing promotions should rather leave a list of officers due for promotion in his handing over notes for the incoming IGP to work with.
“If he is only compiling a list and he is going to leave that as part of his handing over notes that would be fair. There should not be promotions when the Police Council has not been inaugurated, there should not be promotions when he himself has few days to be pulled out. All promotions will have to suspend because technically it makes the work of the incoming IGP difficult. He will come in few days after thousands of officers have been promoted, where does he start from?” he questioned.
Security Analyst, Adam Bonaa