DR AFARI-GYAN UNDER 24 HOURS SECURITY PROTECTION

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

 Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission is the target of daily death threats and is being protected by the increasingly over-stretched and under-resourced national security, according to intelligence sources.

The sources told this paper that, since Dr Afari-Gyan appeared in the Supreme Court following the court request of his where about, there have been constant rate of threats against his live.

For that, the sources said he is been giving tied security protection by the national security at the court during and after proceeding to curtail any eventuality on his lives.

 Some threats to Dr Afari-Gyan dated back the day he declared the 2012 general election and the information before The Enquirer indicated that he would be giving maximum security protection till the end of the case.

What is not clear to this paper is about the lives of his two deputies who are likely to testify in the ongoing election petition case.

But signal at the court picked up by this paper indicated that they are also been taking care of by the security as they attend court proceedings daily.

The sources further said, most of the threat however, are kept under wraps because the security service  was still  investigating  them  and  revealing details of them would only increase the number of copycat attempts.

“Although most threats are not credible, each one has to be investigated meticulously,” the sources said.

The sources further told this paper that, intelligence gathered at the court further indicated that some people are planning to cause mayhem and blame it on the government.

In addition, credible information available to this paper did indicated that a Toyota Land-Cruiser was intercepted by the national security  in the early weeks  when the case began with some  items suspected to be ammunition  concealed under the  car  and  attempt to gain access to the Courts  premises.

 Although the security services are always visible, The Enquirer sniper could say without any slight of doubt  that some bodily built young men, popularly known as “Macho men” were seen some weeks ago at the Supreme Court premises  wearing T-shirt which has inscription, “No Justice: No Peace” embossed  at the front and the back.

Though their identity was not immediately known, some of them were seen flittering with some members of the opposition, New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the court.

It may appears simple and clears to many Ghanaians that since the ongoing election petition case  at the Supreme Court  is being carried live on the National Broadcasting  on both the Radio and Television  (GBC-TV/Radio), all is well in the court in terms of security on live and property  .

But this paper can say that things are happening and the security though not armed to the teeth, are doing their constitutional role very excellently.

Since the day the substantive case of the three election petitioners, Nana Akuffo Addo, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Jake Obestsibi Lamptey began, the national security operatives together with the police services had foiled one crime to another at the Supreme Court.

In the second week of the proceeding of the case in court, there were complaints from the court security that some people have being gaining access to the court premises with fake accreditation ID cards.

Following that complains the national security step up its operative and got arrested two persons all members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with fake accreditation ID cards.

When the two people were interrogated, they all admitted having had the fake ID cards from the AkuffoAddo, Premprey &Co law firm in Accra.

The second incident which has the potential of affecting the lives of innocent people, especially lawyers and journalist at the court, was a man who was arrested again by the operatives of the national security with charm objects, known in the local terms as “Juju”.

When this “Juju man” was arrested he was holding an authentic accreditation ID card which felt within the category of special duty ID Cards and mainly for staff of the judicial services and some security officers.

But what was more intriguing was that the “Juju man” could tell the security who issued him the ID card and which agency or institution he was coming from.

 The other incident which boggled the minds of many people at the court was a young man who was found roaming at the premises of the courts holding multiple ID cards of different kinds of banks and was asking for people who cannot be easily identify at the court.

The young were also arrested on the grounds of attempting to defraud unsuspecting members of the general public.

All these incidents have giving a cause for the national security and the police services to be alert and  their immediate move to secure the registry of Supreme court was therefore not a surprise  after the Supreme court had ordered that exhibits for the election petition by the petitioners should be counted.

As part of ensuring safety of the lives of judges, lawyers, journalist and witnesses as well as court officials at the Supreme Court, the security all manner of persons, including people considered as VIPs are being screened by metal detectors before they are allowed into the court room.

Had it not the vigilant eyes of the security, it could have been relatively simple for an assassin to have mingled with them in order to get close enough to anybody they target.

"We have had a duty to protect everybody who comes here, our job is to ensure that live is not loss, we cannot stop you so far you have authentic accreditation, but we not allow you to enter the court room with any garget or object that has the potential of harming someone,” a security officer said.