Political detainees in Ghana
In the wake of reports that 'populist nonsense' has given way to order and sanity and that there are no political detainees in Ghana, we reproduce below the findings of an investigation carried out and published in the Catholic Standard of 5 August, 1984 pointing to the continued detention of politicians, public servants and soldiers by the Rawlings regime.These are: Mr Riley Poku, former Minister of Defence, Mr Kankam da Costa, former Minister for the Central Region, Dr J.S. Nabilla, former Minister for Presidential Affairs and Mr Joe Hyde, former MP for Okaikwei constituency in the Greater Accra Region.
The investigation also revealed that Mr Poku and Dr Nabilla are being kept in the Ussher Fort prison at Jamestown in Accra while Mr Hyde and Mr da Costa are at the Nsawam prison.
The investigation further revealed that apart from a series of appearances before the National Investigations Committee, the four men have not been brought before any court - traditional or the Public Tribunal and they have also not been charged officially with any offence.
The investigation again revealed that the four men have not been made to appear before any Commission of Enquiry probing irregularities in their ministries, constituency or region.
It will be recalled that on May 26, 1984, the Attorney-General and Secretary for Justice, Mr G.E.K. Aikins said there were no political detainees in the country except Mr Riley Poku and Mr Kankam da Costa who were being held for their involvement in an alleged six million cedi military equipment deal.
Mr. Aikins who was speaking to a meeting of the Ghana section of Amnesty International at the Arts Council in Accra, did not say why the other two detainees, Mr Hyde and Dr Nabilla were still being kept in prison. YET AGAIN, further investigations by the Standard have revealed the continued detention of some civilians and soldiers.
The detainees with their dates of arrest in brackets are: Daniel Nii arrest. Assere Oko, (Dec. 5, 1982), Osafradu Appia Amankwa (May 4, 1983), S.K. Adu-Gyamfi (Jan. 21, 1983), David A. Caulley (Feb. 27, 1983), E.Y. Agyepong (Jan. 6, 1983), and Ambrose K. Afriyie (Dec. 2, 1983).
Others are Alhaji Abudaka Musa (Nov. 29, 1983), Fred Agboletey Quao (Jan. 28, 1983), George Darko (March 1984), Ahmed Malik (Feb. 1984), and DSP E.Y. Blessie (Sept. 21, 1983). Also detained are S/Sgt. Joseph Alex Ankrah (Feb. 19, 1982), S/Sgt. Martin Tanson (Feb. 22, 1982), Sgt. Sanuel Danso (Jan. 9, 1982), Cpl. Sanuel Boye-Okine (May 25, 1982), Cpl. Simon Amedzake (Jan. 3, 1982), and Ex-S/Sgt. Emmanuel Afari (Oct. 24, 1982).
The rest are L/Cpl. Paul Akora (Sept. 2, 1983), Cpl. George Namaali- Nyaaminey (Nov. 5, 1983), Bombadier Mustapha Mohammed (Dec. 5, 1983), Cpl. Daniel Dsane (March 26, 1983), Cpl. Stanley Otchere (Feb. 28, 1983), and L/Cpl. Emmanuel Aninakwah (Feb. 27, 1983).
Also in detention are Emmanuel Narh, Tetteh Adimeh, Evans Ayivor, A.Y. Twumasi-Afriyie, Atsu Koni and Alex Adjei, a former MP.
Meanwhile, further investigations by the Standard have revealed that three former senior officials of the Meat Marketing Board dismissed by a government statement on May 10, 1984 are being held in the Cantoments Police Station in Accra.
They are Mr D.D. Balagumyetime, Chief Executive, Mr A.T. Azupio, Deputy Chief Executive and Mr J.E. Kuutakum, Senior Livestock Officer at the Kpone cattle ranch.
The former Chief Executive and his deputy were allegedly first arrested on April 27, 1984 and locked up at the Chorkor Police Station in Accra. Mr Kuutakum was also arrested on April 26, 1984 and locked up at the Cantoments Police Station.
On May 16, they were released on bail to appear before the Public Tribunal in Accra.
However, it is further alleged that the Tribunal could not prosecute the three men on the report presented by the police and rather ordered the police to do further investigations into the case. The three men were accordingly granted bail by the Tribunal.
However, on May 24, 1984, they were re-arrested by the police and sent to the Cantoments Police Station where they have been held since. It is not known who ordered their arrest.
In the meantime, Mr John Kugblenu and Mike Adjei editor and correspondent respectively of the Free Press were released from protective custody on July 12, 1984.
They were to be produced in court on July 18, 1984 in a habeas corpus writ filed on their behalf by an Accra lawyer, Mr Ray Kakraba Quarshie.
