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Colonel Michael Opoku, Director of Operations, National Security, answers questions
The parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the partial election of Ayawaso West Wuogon last month, Mr. Delali Kwasi Brempong, denied police allegations that his house would be a warehouse for to keep arms in the January 31st by-election.
He said that his house was not a warehouse, but a seven-bedroom apartment with garage and private offices for him and his son.
"In all my life, I have never acquired weapons legally or illegally. I am a pharmacist and I am under oath to protect lives and I have no evidence that people come to my house with guns, "he said.
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Denial
Appearing before the inquiry commission of Judge Emile Short yesterday, Mr. Brempong also denied ever transporting people from Tamale and Kumasi to his constituency to ensure his safety, as claimed by the police.
Mr. Brempong's claims follow an earlier statement by the Director of Operations of the National Security Secretariat, Colonel Michael Kojo Opoku, that the SWAT national team has gathered information that people from Tamale and Kumasi would hold weapons in the NDC parliament. candidate's house.
In his testimony, Colonel Opoku alleged that the intelligence services led the SWAT team to Mr. Brempong's home to check the report, resulting in the death of 15 people in front of the house.
Violent attack
Recalling the violent attack in front of his home, Brempong said the house was about 50 meters from the Bawaleshie polling station.
He stated that at approximately 31:00, on January 31 of this year, he left his home to go to various polling stations in the riding to observe the voting process.
According to him, around 8 am, his son called him to tell him that he had heard in the bathroom 15 shots fired near his house.
Following this report, Mr. Brempong stated that he had immediately returned home.
According to him, upon his arrival at home, a number of people, including family members, workers, NDC faithful and curious residents, met him.
He stated on his arrival that he had been shown a puddle of blood and that he had seen that eight of the 15 shots fired in front of his house had touched trees in front of the main entrance of the while four vehicles parked near the house were riddled with bullets. .
"What I've obviously seen are 15 bullets that have been either misplaced or mishandled since the direction of a school near the left side of my house," he said.
Under the guidance of a commission lawyer, Mr. Brempong stated that eyewitnesses had informed him that the bullets had been fired by the same people who had attacked his house and that he was impossible to enter the apartment looking for firearms.
"There is no proof of shooting from home, but there is a lot of evidence of shooting from outside," he said.
He further denied that he had ever known that the 15 police bikers would have gone to his home to ensure his safety, saying, "I did not see a single motorcycle at home."
He admitted, however, that he knew "in a facial way" some of the NDC's nine supporters who had gone to their homes and had been arrested by police following the violent confrontation in front of his home.
Responding to a question from the commission's lawyer that some of those arrested had told the people they had come from outside the constituency, he replied in the affirmative.
However, he replied that since the elections were so much of interest to the CND, most of the party's national and constituency officials who supported him came from outside the region, especially since he had asked for "human resources support" from the party. the party.
Asked that members of the NDC, including Niño Lante Vanderpuye, NDC's deputy national organizer for women, and Sam George, went to his home in a convoy of four vehicles and 15 motorcycles, he categorically denied this claim.
"Nii Lante Vanderpuye came to my home alone and the badistant women's organizer was my campaign manager during my campaign and she had access to my house.
I only greeted Sam George when he pbaded my house, "he said.
Operations Director
Earlier in his testimony, Col Opoku described as "well-made" the video that was supported by the Emile Short Commission to investigate the violence that occurred during the Ayawaso by-election. West Wuogon.
He said that the original video broadcast on the various media platforms shortly after the violence was very different from the one in the possession of the commission, which distorted the true reflection of what had happened.
"In the original video, we could see Sam George get away while being slapped, but we see a different thing and different stories from the video here at the commission," he said.
"The Commission can not use the video"
During his appearance before the three-member commission yesterday, Col Opoku said: "The first video I saw at the Abelemkpe office was that two people had died and quoted a Joy FM reporter. you can ask that person to confirm it.
I had to do a lot of checking before I could report to my minister, because he insisted that the reporter said that two people had died.
"So maybe this video here is for a specific purpose but should not be used by the commission as it is a well-faked video that we all watch," he said.
Doubts about the video
Under the guidance of a commission lawyer, Col Opoku said that there was much doubt about the video used by the commission to conduct its investigations.
While admitting that he did not know who had shot the original video, Col Opoku told the commission that he also did not know the source, but that "the video was available on the Internet".
When Judge Short asked if he had the original video, Col Opoku said, "I'm going to get it."
The board therefore adjourned the hearing of Col Opoku's testimony to 25 February 2019 to allow him to provide him with all relevant documents, including the original video, the report he received from the commander of the SWAT National Security Team, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Kojo Azugu and an audio recording of the incident.
The hearing will continue on Monday, February 25, 2019.
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