He was once arrested, detained, interdicted for his involvment in an unapproved drug-related operation

A quick inspection of The Chronicle’s database on personal records of key security officers implicated in the ongoing drug investigations unleashed what can only be described as ‘a dark record’ of ACP Kofi Boakye, the beleaguered Director General of Police Operations. Our database records, authenticated by painstaking archival investigations, have revealed that ACP Boakye’s involvement in unapproved drug-related operations dates back to 1992.

It has been sighted, verified and authenticated that in 1992, when ACP Boakye was then an Assistant Superintendent of Police at the Crime Laboratory at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, he was arrested, detained and interdicted for carrying out an unapproved drug-related operation in Kumasi.

This happened when he allegedly went to Kumasi under the pretext of visiting his sick child and succeeded in mobilizing some eight cops from the Kumasi Zongo Police station to carry out an operation to arrest some alleged drug dealers at Ashanti New Town, during which operation a suspect was killed.

The paper gathered that when Mr. Boakye was embroiled in that frustrated operation, his superiors in Accra distanced themselves in a manner reminiscent of how he was recently disowned by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. P. K. Acheampong, at the Georgina Woode Committee sitting over his infamous convention with the suspected drug barons in his house.

The Chronicle had been informed that at that time, Boakye’s arrest, detention and subsequent interdiction aroused public interest and got published by some media establishments.

In her statement to the Commissioner in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Department about the conduct of Kofi Boakye in the alleged shooting incident in Kumasi which occurred on Saturday, October 3, 1992, the Chief Supt. in charge of Crime Laboratory, Ms. Joana Sarpong-Mensah, noted that ASP Boakye (then not ACP) who had been working under her command had reported an operation he had led in Kumasi, which had resulted in the death of one person.

She stressed in a document sighted by The Chronicle that around 4:00pm on Friday October 2, 1992, she received a call at her home from the then ASP Boakye, informing her about a message he had received from Kumasi that his child had suddenly taken ill.

The said document by the then crime laboratory head indicated that Boakye expressed the desire to rush to Kumasi to visit his sick baby and that considering the day and time he made the request, she directed him to make an entry at the nearest police station before his departure and to return before Monday, October 5, 1992.

Ms. Sarpong-Mensah had stated in the document that she was again at home when ASP Boakye came and reported of an alleged operation he had held in Kumasi with men from the Zongo Police Station to arrest some suspected drug dealers, which had resulted in the death of one person.

The archival document further states that Boakye had mentioned that he was reporting to the then Commissioner of Police in charge of CID, Mr. G. S. Aggor, which decision was approved by her boss.

ASP Boakye was said to have returned some minutes later to inform his superior at the crime laboratory that he had met the absence of Mr. Aggor and thus decided to report to the Chief Supt. in charge of Administration of the CID, Mr. Mensah Gray.

It was revealed that the following, Monday, Mr. Boakye came back to Ms. Sarpong-Mensah’s house to report that he had gone back to Kumasi the previous day, (Sunday October 4) to give a report to the Zongo police, and that he was then reporting himself to Mr. Aggor.

It was further stated that around 10:00am the same day, ASP Boakye talked to the Ashanti Regional Commander and got back to his boss in Accra to inform her that he was being asked to report back in Kumasi.

“I then instructed him to report same to Mr. Aggor and feed me back for the necessary entry to be made before he left. I learnt later during the day at Mr. Aggor’s office that he had not reported the alleged telephone instruction to Mr. Aggor as instructed,” Boakye’s superior officer was captured in the document.

It was stated that a telephone call to the Crime Officer in Kumasi, ASP Dzaka, had revealed that ASP Boakye had reported back to the Kumasi Police and was in their hands (arrested).

Boakye’s boss concluded, “ASP Boakye was not on any official duty in Kumasi on the said date, 2/10/92.”

Further probe indicated that on March 15, 1993, he was interdicted by the then Inspector General of Police over the matter.

“Due to your involvement in a murder case on October 3, 1992 at Kumasi, the Inspector-General of Police has directed that you should be interdicted from duty,” his interdiction letter stated.

His interdiction was lifted sometime in 1994.