A member of the national communication team of the NDC, Adel Umar Ibrahim, has said that all the persons who were heard in the leaked tape containing information about a plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP) are guilty of treason.
According to him, the affirmation of the former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bugri Naabu, who was heard in the tape together with at least one senior police officer, of the statements made on the tape means the persons who were captured in the tape have committed a crime.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews, Umar Ibrahim insisted that the senior police officers including COP George Alex Mensah and George Asare plotting to remove an IGP is a crime that must be dealt with.
“My issue is that for the fact that he (Bugri Naabu) admits that yes, I did the recording, there is no long talk. Anybody else who was in that room (has committed a crime) because you know he has implicated himself to a certain extent and he was leading them on.
“… he (Naabu) was having a conversation with them at the point he said, ‘I can even reach out to the president and make it happen. You know the man (one of the police officers) said, ‘even if it's not given to me, and it's given to somebody else who is sympathetic to the NPP, fair enough but this man (the IGP) cannot help us in the elections’. You know this is treason, this is treason,” he said.
The NDC (National Democratic Congress) communication team members said that there are Ghanaians who are being prosecuted for far lesser actions.
He called his party’s members of parliament to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that all the persons implicated in the tape are punished.
“Western Togoland, the issue that recently happened, they are in court. We shouldn't be dragging our feet on this and I pray that the minority goes into details to really investigate.
“Let's not pay attention to everything that we're just hearing. We'll take that into consideration… but when the real investigations are done; we will be able to find out where was the gadgets bought for the recording; when the document got to Nana Addo. By all means, there'll be a loose end,” he added.
Meanwhile, The Commission of the Police (COP), who was heard allegedly skimming to replace the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dampare in a leaked tape that made news headlines in July 2023, George Alex Mensah, has spoken out for the first time.
Giving his testimony at a hearing on the issue of the leaked tape in parliament on Thursday, August 31, 2023, COP Mensah said that even though he recognised his voice in the tape, he did not make some of the remarks in it.
He added that the tape on the supposed plot was edited and some of his voices in it were possibly forged.
He also said that even though he and a meeting with the former New Parotitic Party (NPP) Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu, who has admitted to recording the tape in question, there was no plan to remove the IGP.
Background:
A leaked audio recording, allegedly involving a Police Commissioner and a politician discussing a plot to remove the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo Dampare, has ignited public outrage.
In the said video, a Police Commissioner, who described himself as Mensa, was heard with Bugri Naabu, plotting the removal of IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare over fears he will be too firm in the 2024 elections.
The Police Commissioner, who is said to be retiring, is heard telling the politician that the IGP is too firm and will not allow machinations in next year’s polls if he is not removed.
He further notes that the nature of security the IGP provided during the Assin North by-election shows he will not allow any rigging in the polls.
“This IGP won’t help us. He won’t, he wants everything to be done fairly and we don’t win elections that way. If we don’t remove him, we can’t break the 8, in politics we need machinations and this IGP won’t allow that,” the Police Commissioner is heard saying.
The Parliament of Ghana has set up a 7-member committee to conduct a probe into the leaked tape after calls by the NDC Members of Parliament.
Proponents of the government have however stated that the allegations in the said tape should not be taken seriously because the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has no plans to change IGP Dr Geroge Akuffo Dampare.
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Bugri Naabu, COP George Mensah and COP George Asare (from L to R)