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Anti-corruption crusaders in the Asante Mampong Municipality say their members have been receiving life-threatening messages after exposing corrupt deals that provoked investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

“We are worried about the threats by corrupt individuals and their surrogates to harm our members,” spokesperson for the campaigners, Mr Kenneth Bonsu, told the Ghana News Agency.

“Some of the people, including government appointees, issue all manner threats, they intimidate us, they say we we’ll show you where power lies, we’ll take you to court, and the like,” he said.

The campaigners, who are mostly activists of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), however, dared not to rest until acts of corruption in various government agencies and departments were exposed and EOCO retrieved all monies due the government for the benefit of the people.

They lauded the efforts by EOCO in Kumasi for probing the alleged corrupt deals perpetuated by the former municipal chief executive officer (MCE), Mr Daniel Appau Ohyeamang.

In June last year, the group in a petition to President John Dramani Mahama, accused Mr Ohyemang of siphoning the Assembly’s funds through dubious contracts and amassing wealth to himself, triggering an investigation by the security agency.

Mr Ohyeamang has denied any wrongdoing and threatened to take the petitioners to court.

He had, however, said some school feeding contracts were given to his wife and daughter, while the assembly owed him GH¢ 20,000.00.

They also fingered the National Disaster Management Organisation there for diverting relief items and indicted the Assembly’s officials for hijacking the school feeding programme, and thereby denying the local people livelihoods.

Mr Bonsu said the group was satisfied with the EOCO’s performance as it was competently dealing with the matter and, therefore, deserved some commendation.

“We are happy to report to Mr President that the Ashanti regional EOCO is working so tirelessly to uncover the rot,” he said.

“We as members of Concern Activists and members of the NDC wish to state without fear or favour that the EOCO, Ashanti regional office in Kumasi is the only investigative body in our region that has lived to the bill,” he claimed.

“In fact, they [EOCO] were not the only investigative bodies we copied, other bodies refused to investigate the issues we raised and rather tried to victimise our members,” Mr Bonsu said.

They wondered how the sitting MCE, Mr Mohammed Aboasu, would allow the former MCE, who is under investigation, to still be managing six schools under the National School Feeding Programme.

Internal Audit report in 2013 cited widespread fraudulent deals in the Municipal Assembly and recommended full refund of monies lost to the assembly.

The report recommended that Multi Dimension Limited, and JEK and Will Co Limited t pay back the assembly “within 24 hours GH¢ 18,066 it claimed by false pretence or in default face immediate police action.”

In the third quarter of 2012, the audit had demanded the Assembly to recover GH¢ 75,000.00 paid to Uphils, an internet service provider.

Mr Bonsu urged the government to redistribute the schools under the school feeding programme so that community members without jobs could benefit instead of giving them to the municipal assembly officials who were already paid by the central government.