• He says they have written a letter to the IGP’s office but it feedback is not forthcoming
• He has also specified that not less than 200 robbery attacks have been recorded between January to June, 2021
General Secretary of the Mobile Money Agents Association of Ghana (MMAAG), Mr. Evans Otumfuo, has revealed that the police have refused to respond to a letter they have submitted to seek for help regarding the spike in the violent attacks on mobile money vendors across the country.
According to him, for the past four months now, they have been trying to reach the police to seek assistance on how best to curb the numerous attacks on mobile money agents yet all attempts have proved futile.
Speaking to Alfred Ocansey on 3FM’s Morning show monitored by Ghanaweb, Mr. Otumfuo said: “We have in a way tried to engage the police hierarchy, we have sent a letter to them requesting to meet them, I think close to 3 to 4 months now but unfortunately we have not received any call from them so that we can sit at a table to lay or discuss the nitty-gritty of the mobile money business.
"And if possible, to propose some measures that we think if put in place, will help to curtail the increasing robbery attacks on mobile money agents," he said.
Mr. Otumfuo added that, they have also sent a letter to the Inspector General of Police, IGP’s office, but that has also proved unsuccessful.
“We have tried and tried to engage the security, we have served a letter to the IGP’s office but it’s almost four months now (and) we have not heard any invitation to honour the meeting and that is very unfortunate for us.”
Asked if they have made a follow-up on their request, Mr Otumfuo indicated that they are trying to figure out what the reason might be for the lack of response whiles adding that they plan to send someone to get feedback from the police.
He expressed grave concern over the rising spate of violent attacks on members of the association and their employees.
“They are numerous; what you are having I want to believe are the officially reported ones to the police, but we have several records of robbery, acid bath and killings that unfortunately were not reported to the appropriate quarters for one reason or the other.
"So for now, I could say from January to June, that is the first half of 2021, we might be recording not less than 200 attacks on mobile money agents including acid baths which leave people deformed, maimed, dead and all kind of inhuman things that happen to mobile money agents."
Meanwhile, Lawyer Francis Baah, a private legal practitioner and a former head of the Legal and Prosecution Department at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, says writing just a letter is not enough and has therefore charged the association to instead send a powerful delegation to the office of the IGP.
They are however optimistic that the police will someday honour their invitation