Photo: IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare
A bombshell report alleges that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Ghana, Dampare, has been implicated in the extrajudicial killings of eight Nigerians in Ghana. Sources close to the President of Nigeria claim to have fully briefed him on the disturbing incident, which has sent shockwaves across the West African Subregion. The information reveals a pattern of uncooperative behaviour by IGP Dampare towards Nigerian government requests for information on the killings, raising serious questions about his undiplomatic conduct towards the Nigerian government.
Some incontrovertible information emanating from sources close to the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, indicates that the president has been fully briefed about the killing of eight Nigerians, including a pregnant woman, in Ghana. The killings were reportedly carried out under the express instructions of IGP Dampare, who has consistently displayed an uncooperative attitude towards the Nigerian government’s requests for details on the murders of its citizens.
The killing of these Nigerians and IGP Dampare’s subsequent refusal to provide information to the Nigerian government were among the reasons for Dampare’s recent visit to Nigeria, during which he sought to impress upon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lobby His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama to allow him to continue serving as IGP received a very cold response from the Nigerian government.
According to this incontrovertible information, Dampare was described by some members of the inner circles of the Nigerian government as an extremely dangerous person who arbitrarily and extrajudicially eliminates suspected Nigerian armed robbers arrested in Ghana.
It can be asserted unequivocally that when Dampare arrived in Nigeria, most of the inner circle members of the Nigerian president were very unhappy to see him in close proximity to the president and did not conceal their misgivings. However, as usual, Dampare had prepared thoroughly and those who had arranged the meeting for him did not spare him despite his largely unwelcome presence at the Nigerian Presidency. He distributed some monetary assistance to those who had facilitated his visit in order to appease them.
It will be recalled that IGP Dampare invited the Nigerian diplomatic corps to the police headquarters shortly after his inauguration to request their assistance in arranging a meeting between him and the Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which they gladly arranged, leading to Dampare’s visit to Nigeria.
Sources within the corridors of power in President John Dramani Mahama’s government also indicate that when His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama received news of Dampare’s visit to Nigeria to meet with His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of Nigeria, and persuade him to persuade President Mahama to allow him to continue serving as IGP of Ghana, he was not in the least amused. In fact, he was quite furious that Dampare would travel so far outside the country to enlist the support of other African heads of state in keeping him as IGP.
However, the decision to dismiss IGP Dampare had been made much earlier and is irreversible, despite the fact that many security analysts and senior police officers, both serving and retired, have publicly stated that the sooner the President relieves IGP Dampare of his position, the better it will be for him and his government.
Okparaji Adegboyega Adejuyigbesion has already been made, but the security apparatus of His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama is considering a choice between Dampare’s Deputy IGP, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohonu, and two COPs, COP Alhaji Seidu Iddi Lansah and COP Sayibu Gariba Pabi, as potential replacements for Dampare in the coming days and weeks.
The alleged involvement of IGP Dampare in the unlawful deaths of civilians is a grave violation of human rights and undermines confidence foreigners in Ghana will have in the Ghana Police Service. The Nigerian government has a duty to hold those responsible accountable and demand justice for the victims. President Mahama’s reported anger at IGP Dampare’s attempt to lobby him through external influences shows that the Ghanaian government is taking the matter seriously. The decision to dismiss IGP Dampare and the search for a suitable replacement underscore the commitment to accountability and upholding the rule of law.
Source:
Okparaji Adegboyega Adejuyigbe
West Africa Security And Justice League (WASJL)
Lagos, Nigeria
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