Police Arrest Koku, Invade His Residence

The Police Command in Accra have arrested vociferous Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) over his coup comments.

Koku was picked up following his declaration that there will be a civil coup against President Akufo-Addo over the much talked about Ghana-US Military agreement.

The former Presidential Spokesperson was picked up by personnel from the Criminal Investigations Department, in the middle of a news conference at the Ghana International Press Centre (GIPC) where the leadership of the Ghana First Patriotic Front was addressing the media ahead of the protest dubbed “Put Ghana First Demo”.

THE PUBLISHER sources claim Koku who had resisted arrest refused to be whisked into a waiting vehicle by officials of the Police Criminal Investigation Department to the Police Headquarters.

He rather walked from the Press Centre to the CID headquarters accompanied by his boss, Johnson Asiedu Nketia popularly known as “General Mosquito”, Bernard Mornah, Kofi Portophy.

The paper’s source further claimed some police officers stormed Koku’s residence minutes after his arrest.

The officers are reportedly searching for documents in connection with his comment that has been widely views as “treasonable”.

As at press time yesterday, embattled Koku was assisting the police to unravel the motive behind his comments.

Coup Plot?

The arrest comes hours after the government had said that it expects the country’s security agencies to interrogate Koku for making what it considers treasonable comments.

Koku is widely quoted as having said during an interview on Accra-based Happy FM, that President Akufo-Addo will be overthrown just like his father and the late Dr. K. A Busia due to the ratification of the controversial defence cooperation agreement between the US and the government of Ghana.

He said: “Somebody should tell Nana Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. On the 13th of January 1972, a certain Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led an insurrection that removed the Progress Party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo Addo’s father was the ceremonial President. Someone should tell Akufo-Addo that history has an interesting way of repeating itself”

Pushed for clarity, the NDC Deputy Scribe insisted that history has a way of repeating itself.

“There will be a civilian coup d’état. There will be a social revolution. We [NDC] are starting it on Wednesday (today). The movement is starting on Wednesday. Nana Addo will have sleepless nights.  He will suffer diarrhea. He said he wanted to be president, but we will make sure he will be fed up on the seat,’’ Koku warned.

Invite Koku 

Earlier in an interaction with sections of the media yesterday the Minister for Information, Mustapha Hamid, condemned Koku’s comments saying “Our [government’s] immediate reaction is utter condemnation of the comments by Koku Anyidoho. We condemn it in the very strongest of terms. When people make treasonable comments, when people allude to the fact that they intend to overthrow a government, it will be important for the security agencies to have a chat with him and to find out how he intends to do that.”

He indicated that, although the NDC has subsequently dissociated itself from Koku’s comments, it has to take a firmer stance by strongly condemning same.

“Our attention has been drawn to the fact that the General Secretary of the NDC says the party disassociates itself from Koku Anyidoho’s comments, but we think that merely disassociating the NDC from that comment is not enough. We think that the NDC should condemn this in the strongest possible terms.”

NDC’s Silence

In an official statement the Minister said the government is concerned that the NDC does not condemn the treasonable comments of Koku adding that “we therefore call on the NDC to show its commitment to democratic governance by condemning unreservedly that the treasonable comments of its Deputy General secretary.”

Mustapha Hamid, argued: “we find the NDC’s reluctance to condemn Anyidoho as particularly disturbing because Anyidoho alleges that the “coup d’ tat is starting on Wednesday” and we know that the demonstration on Wednesday has the full endorsement of the NDC”.

He noted that it is therefore important that the NDC demonstrates its commitment to democratic governance by showing that the Wednesday demonstration is not a smoke screen for fermenting insurrection as Anyidoho claims.

The statement concludes that “the government assures the citizens that it will take appropriate steps within the bounds of the law to protect the security of the state.”

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson/ thePublisher