Abusive cop hauled to Accra

The embattled policeman in Kumasi who slighted Northerners in Ashanti Region during a recent demonstration by traders at Kumasi Race Course has reportedly been called to the national headquarters of the Ghana Police Service in Accra.
And though the Police Service have not officially released any information to that effect, Today sources at Fox FM, a Kumasi-based radio station, understand Lance Corporal Prince Yeboah- the policeman who whipped up tribal sentiments- walked to the offices of the radio station and dropped hints that he had been called to the police headquarters.

Today further gathered that the beleaguered Lance Corporal might have offered a few incentives to the morning show crew of Fox FM lending credence to the reasons why the host of the show, Captain Smart, yesterday punched holes in the various reports made by journalists including this reporter.

And in the wake of the persistent bashing of journalists who reported on the conduct of the policeman by panelists and the radio host Captain Smart, the host in an apparent move to defend the policeman, repeated several times what many people in Kumasi believe are ‘lies told by the policeman to the effect that one of the journalists made some derogatory remarks about the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

Unknown to them, this reporter had followed up on the story on Monday, August 15, 2011 to enquire about what the Police Service had told the ethnocentric policeman about his foul statement, but was refused any official information by DCOP Patrick Timbilla who stated in a telephone conversation that whatever happened or would happen Lance Corporal Yeboah is their internal affair and was not supposed to come out to the general public.

The commander went on to express his disquiet against journalists who reported the incident in their newspapers saying they had not shown him respect as he settled the case that day, adding that “I didn’t expect you to report it because I took the case up.”

Unprofessionally, however, the Lance Corporal after relaying his summons to Accra to Fox FM, further impugned that his commander had caused his transfer because he is a northerner.

One of the journalists at the scene when the unfortunate incident happened, George Ampratwum of the Daily Searchlight, who was later threatened with death by the same policeman for daring to testify before DCOP Timbilla that Corporal Yeboah made that unfortunate statement, expressed surprise at the bias manner in which the host and his panelists handled the matter.

Mr. Ampratwum categorically refuted assertions that one of them asked whether the Asantehene was born with a land, for which reason, the policeman asked whether northerners also brought lands to Ashanti.

“I don’t know how much the policeman gave him (Captain Smart) for him to have supported his lies and even go to the extent of saying it on air, but there were four of us, and even a national security operative, and no one said the lies they are churning out.

…In any case, if the policeman claims we really said that about the Asantehene, what prevented him from saying it in our presence and that of his commander on the said day when everybody was there. Why would he wait until now to go and tell that Captain Smart who can do nothing to any of us except to rage and rant on that station,” Mr. Ampratwum fumed with anger.

Regional Correspondent for the Daily Dispatch, Mr. Isaac Amoah, who was also present on that day, also refuted the allegation which Captain Smart was flying around.

“That Captain Smart shouldn’t think he is the only one who reveres the Asantehene, in fact we all do and even more than him. I think he is only telling all those lies in order to win some sympathy for that ethnocentric policeman,” he said.

Meanwhile, Captain Smart has ordered the regional police commander to do everything within his powers to stop the alleged calling of his ethnocentric policeman to the headquarters or he shall say anywhere that it was he (DCOP Timbilla) who caused his transfer.