Greetings to you from the Bawku general area. Last night, as I was smarting under the 6 pm- 6 am curfew hours, intermittent dumsor, and water not flowing from the tap, I became very happy when a reliable source close to H.E VICE PRESIDENT JULIUS DEBRAH was gracious enough to leak some comments from discussions that had allegedly been held by some NDC gurus about Owula Mangortey. My respectful response to the alleged comments by H.E. JULIUS DEBRAH AND ASSOCIATES is in two Nzema sayings, 3NZE METI ANU, and NYAMENLE KY3 A B3NVE
Seniors, your most important concerns should be how to reciprocate the nature of votes for the NDC from Bawku and the other constituencies in the Kusuag Traditional Area with good, tarred roads. It is such a shame that apart from the main Bolgatanga to Pulmakom road, and Missiga to Kulungugu road, and a few Bawku town roads, there is not a single tarred road in the 6 constituencies of Kusaug!
Furthermore, H.E JULIUS DEBRAH and the NDC Gurus will get an answer to one of their concerns on the reasons for Owula Mangortey’s foresighted decision, 3 years ago, to thrive on deadly, risky, chaotic, dare-devil escapades in Bawku, when criminals take advantage of a lack of a smooth transition between the Security and Intelligence Teams, to escalate the following security risks from January 8, 2025:
(1). Armed robbers start attacking traders and commuters at the Kabore bus stop (the Sapeliga junction); on the 12 km road from Kabore to Sapeliga; on the road from Tilli to Kukore to “are-you-ready?” to Binaba; on the road from Binduri to Atuba; on the road from Missiga to Polimakom.
(2). In addition to the current challenges, there is a mutation of the Bawku conflict into a Kusasi-Bissa (Busanga) and Kusasi- Moshi strands.
(3). Our neighbours and visitors – the Jama’at Nasr al-islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) – decide that they no longer trust Bawku, Pusiga, Garu, and Tempane as suppy lines, places of rest and treatment of their injuries, and are ready to provoke a Ghana Army that appears strong but of late is lagging in mission planning and sustainability.
ACP (RTD) BENJAMIN KWASI AGORDZO
I wish to provide feedback from some retired police officers in the Upper East Region to the well-known ACP (rtd) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo.
They say Agordzo can not say in the Upper East Region that Dr. Akufo-Dampare is the worst Inspector-General of Police ever!
They asked whether ACP (rtd) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzor has ever been an IGP?
They asked whether ACP (Rtd) Agordzo knows what it takes to become a successful IGP responsible for the operational control and administration over the following current number of Police personnel?:
(1). Commissioner of Police (COP) = Ten (10)
(2). Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) = Forty-one (41).
(3). Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) = One hundred and twenty (120).
(4). Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) = One hundred and sixty-five (165).
(5). Superintendent of Police (Supo) = Two hundred and sixty- seven (267).
(6). Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) = Two hundred and thirty (230).
(7). Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) = Eight hundred (800).
(8). Other Ranks = Twenty- nine thousand (29,000).
They say ACP (Rtd) Benjamin Agordzo does research and teaches. They wish to know what research he did to arrive at his conclusion that Dr. Dampare is the worst IGP ever.
They say ACP (rtd) Agordzo should name three (3) of his best IGPs and state their achievements.
They say ACP (rtd) Benjamin Agordzo should name five (5) achievements he has added to the Ghana Police Service.
They say they recommend that ACP (rtd) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo should be recalled from retirement and appointmented as IGP so that he will learn a useful lesson that in Ghana when you become an IGP, you automatically EARN FALSE FRIENDS AND TRUE ENEMIES!!
They say they respectfully urge that ACP (rtd) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo is considered on his merit and not because he is running a campaign of intoxication to undermine and mudsling IGP DR. AKUFO-DAMPARE.
They say they know of Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo’s record as a Superintendent of Police in the Upper East Region.
They say when Benjamin Agordzo was a Superintendent serving in Bolgatanga, he was alleged to have beaten up a Regional Police Commander.
They say Agordzo faced a service inquiry on six (6) counts in accordance with Regulation 16 (d) of the Police Service (Disciplinary Proceedings) Regulation 1974 (LI 993) on a charge of MISCONDUCT: Contrary to Section 17 (k) of the Police Service Act 350/70.
They say Agordzo was convicted, and the Police Central Disciplinary Board approved his REMOVAL FROM SERVICE.
They say Benjamin Agordzo was damn lucky that the father-for-all, the good old Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills became president, and Dramani Ibn Mahama became the Chairman of the Police Council.
They say following an appeal to the Police Council against his removal, Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson , Acting IGP, wrote to reinstate Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo into the Police Service but with a substitute sentence of REDUCTION IN RANK TO DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE (MAXIMUM) WITH EFFECT FROM 27TH AUGUST 2007.
They say ACP (RTD) Benjamin Kwasi Agordzo lacks the credibility, integrity, and moral courage to pass judgement on the current IGP.
They say that what they are interested in is a smooth transition so that the Police continues to ensure security and safety in the Bawku general area and in other parts of the Upper East Region. Additionally, what they are interested in is continued efforts to counter violent extremists and other non-state armed groups and to prevent them from attacking them in the Upper East Region and other parts of the country.
They say they know of the true state of the Police in the Upper East Region in 2021 when Dr. Akufo- Dampare became IGP. Even though they are far away from Accra, they know and could see and could feel the impact in their communities of the investments made, and the exceptionally good policing methods iniated by IGP Dampare and his Regional Commanders – DCOP (now COP) Dr. Sayyibu Gariba, DCOP Lomotey, and the evergreen DCOP Adofiem.
They say, for the ordinary citizens who rely on the Police for security and safety from gunmen and other criminals who attempt to molest them daily, it would be a high mark of ingratitude on their part in Bawku and other parts of the Upper East Region to tolerate such an irresponsible, vile remark from ACP (rtd) Benjamin Agordzo that Dr. Akufo-Dampare is the worst IGP ever.
They say if ACP (rtd) Benjamin Agordzo can do a better job to provide them with improved security and safety, they will welcome him. Until he gets the opportunity to prove himself, they will not tolerate him villifyin̈g IGP AKUFO-DAMPARE.
They say they urge the Transition Team to invite ACP (rtd) Benjamin Agordzo to assist them in conducting a STRICT PROOF of the following policing activities under IGP AKUFO-DAMPARE:
(A). OPERATIONS INITIATIVES
(1). Creation of eight (8) new Police Regions:
ASHANTI NORTH (Mampong)
ASHANTI SOUTH (Bekwai)
VOLTA NORTH (Hohoe)
EASTERN SOUTH (Kyebi)
EASTERN NORTH (Nkawkaw)
WESTERN CENTRAL (Tarkwa)
WESTERN NORTH (Sefwi Wiawso)
CENTRAL EAST (Kasoa)
(2). Establishment of Regional Formed Police Units (RFPUs) with 30 personnel each in 144 communities across the country.
(3). Establishment of the Cold Case Unit, Missing Persons Unit and the Police Election Security Secretariat.
(4). Decentralisation of criminal checks to the 25 Regional Police Commands.
(5). Deployment of body worn cameras for real time monitoring.
(6). K9 Unit Dog patrols.
(B). RETOOLING
(1). 630 new housing units – 1, 2, and 3 bedroom housing units at Kwabenya Police Depot and Tesano Police Depot.
(2). Pilot of four (4) ultra modern brick Police stations at Kwahu Asakraka, Obo Kwahu, Anyinam, and East Legon, UPSA, Accra.
(3). Completion of two (2) new Regional Police Headquarters office buildings at Kasoa (Central East Region) and Wa (Upper West Region).
(4). Acquisition and distribution of 521 new vehicles, including pickups, armoured personnel carriers, and light vehicles.
(5).Acquisition and distribution of 5135 motorbikes for sustained motorbike operations (Police Visibility, anti-armed robbery, etc.).
(C). ROAD SAFETY
(1). Police Action Against Rider Indiscipline (Operation PAARI).
(2). The Invisible Police Eye (TIPE).
(3). Police Anti-secure Loading Enforcement Strategy (Operation PAILES).
(4). Traffic Enforcement (Equality before the law).
(D). POLICE WELFARE
(1). Police Emergency Medical Intervention Fund (PEMIF).
(2). Police Virtual Medical Centre.
(3). Police National Headquarters facelift and beautification of Regional Commands.
(4). Decentralisation of processing of pension benefits in all the regions.
(5). E- payslip system.
(6). Police shop.
(7). Decentralisation of the Counselling Unit.
(8). Asphalting of the parade square and all roads at the National Police Training School.
(9). Enhanced Police/Public relations with the establishment of the Ghana Police TV and the Judicial Protection Unit.
I shall return.
Owula Mangortey
Permanent Representative and Ambassador Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary to BAWKU
12th December 2024