A former Colonel in the Ghana Armed Forces is doubting the capability of three men arrested by state security apparatus for plotting to target the presidency.
Festus Aboagye, who is also a security analyst, noted that considering the alleged evidence gathered during the arrest of the said persons, the government rather acted prematurely in concluding that they could be plotting to subvert the presidency.
A joint security operation on Friday, according to the government, led to the retrieval of several arms, explosive devices and ammunition from locations in Accra and Kpone Bawaleshie in Dodowa.
According to the Information, Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, personnel drawn from Defence Intelligence, CID and Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) conducted a successful operation which led to the arrest of three persons - Dr Frederick Yao Mac-Palm and his two accomplices – Ezor Kafui (a local weapon manufacturer) and Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu (aka BB or ADC).
He disclosed that the joint operation was to neutralise an elaborate plot targeted at the Presidency, and with the ultimate aim of destabilising the country.
Colonel Aboagye reacting to the development in an interview on Newsnight with Evan Mensah Monday, said he finds it very difficult understanding what government meant in its statement.
“I cannot put words in the mouth of government but the agencies involved are expected to be professional enough to explain exactly what this group was about but if it fell short of calling it an attempted coup to overthrow government we cannot purport otherwise that the aim, as indicated in the statement, was to undermine the presidency…I do not exactly understand what targeting the presidency means,” he said.
Breaking the issue down into three areas, the Security Analyst noted that, the government statement failed to state clearly whether there was some mobilisation of some youth to violently overthrow government, the acquisition of foreign and manufacture of weapons “giving the quantities that are mentioned in the statement, I am not too sure the number of targets that those welding these pieces of ammunition were going to target.”
The former Colonel wondered whether “these weapons and ammunition will be sufficient for anybody attempting to overthrow the state to actually overthrow the state.”
Colonel Aboagye said he would have been happier “if the evidence had led to the idea that these weapons were being manufactured and acquired for criminal purposes.
“The mention of treason…raises the stakes and I have difficulty actually accepting government explanation that this group intended to target the presidency…”
While he no problem with government’s call for calm in the wake of the development, he stressed that “if indeed this group intended to overthrow the state, I think this government acted prematurely.”
He wished the state could have gone a step further to allow the group to hatch a plan for the security agencies to have a full grasp of the alleged target of the presidency and deal with it appropriately.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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AAh why is there so much d1$h0nesty more so intellectual d1$h0n£$ty in Ghana. I have followed very closely the comments of Col. Festus aboagye especially on News file and most of the time struggle to get the gist of his contributions. If Mr Aboagye has nothing to say he is not obliged to say something or anything. It took two Majors of the Ghana Armed Forces to plot and overthrow Busia yet, Gen. Acheampong suffered with his life. It doesn't take a battalion to plan a coup, it takes an individual to sell his idea to willing g000ns. The fact that you write some non bestseller book doesn't mean you are an expert. Please you dey bore me waaa. Just shut it old Colonel.
I am surprised Mr. Aboagye will say this. His view is so simplistic.
it took a pistol to start the ww2. over 70 million were killed. it just took the killing of a monarch. you do not need a military attacking drone.
These so called experts can be so irritating. They are woken by phone calls and they just start talking as if they are in the loo. What is premature about such an arrest? Sometimes you wander if they had brains in their head. On what basis is he claiming that govt acted prematurely? ***barred word***!
THE WEAPONS DISCOVERED FROM THE COUP PLOTTERS APPEAR TO BE TOO SIMPLE FOR A COUP. IT IS GOOD FOR ALL WHO CARE ABOUT GHANA TO KNOW THAT THE WEAPONS DISCOVERED MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH TO TAKE OVER GOVERNMENT, YET THEY CAN ENABLE THEM TO ATTACK THE GUARDS AT THE ARMOURY TO GIVE THEM ACCESS TO MORE POWERFUL WEAPONS. NO CIVILIAN COUP PLOTTERS ACT ALONE. THEY ALWAYS HAVE IGNORANTT SOLDIERS TO USE, EXPLOITT AND DUMPP. HE ALSO ARGUED THAT ANY COUP AT THIS TIME WILL ATTRACT INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION. ONE MUST KNOW THAT COUP MAKERS DO NOT CARE ABOUT INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION. CONTEMPORARY COUP MAKERS LACK THE ABILITY TO THINK RIGHT AND MAY NOT CARE ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK OF THEM. MOST COUP MAKERS ARE EGOISTICC AND SELF ABSORBEDD. THEY DONT THINK AND ACT RIGHT BECAUSE THEY DONT SEE RIGHT TO JUDGE RIGHT. OFOSU AMPOFO STATEMENTS WERE NOT MADE IN A VACUUM. ANY GUN OR EXPLOSION IN THE HANDS OF NON-AUTHORISED PERSONS ARE NOT INTENDED FOR THE GOOD OF ANY PEOPLE. THEY ARE ONLY USED TO COMMIT CRIME BY ATTACKING TO ROB PEOPLE OF THEIR LIVES, PROPERTY OR GOVERNMENT. STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE. BETTER SOON THAN NEVER.
Are you also not speaking in haste when u have not seen the charge sheet and the evidence that will be adduced by the AG in court?. Everybody wants to be heard. Tomorrow IMANI, Adam Bona, Kwesi Enning all will speak. Country of talkatives chiaa
@Kwabena Osei thank u very much...
I dont blame this soo called Security analyst because our lazy Journalist will call them and give them a platform spill garbage...Lazy Journalist sitting in the comfort of their homes.. They wont research to find out even about the weapons which were found... Somebody alluded to the Taadi girls saga.. Noo Journalist has even boarded to find out when the parents of this lost girls reported the issue to the police unlike the Canadian girls which was reported immediately so it was easy for the police to arrest the kidnappers...unfortunately our Journalist who are suppose to be our eyes are rather misinforming us
The method used yesterday to stage a coup d'etat could not be so today so i absolutely disagree with Col. Aboagye. Anybody can cause confusion which could lead to coup or an uprising. All Ghanaians are privileged to ELDER OFOSU AMPOFO diabolic tape so Colonel Aboagye check your notes again. We now live in ICT era. LONG LIVE GHANA
Unfortunately we are forced to listen to anybody parading as expert.....sad!