General News of Friday, 26 October 2001

Source: GNA

BNI says attack on WO Kuntor not assassination attempt

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service on Thursday denied that the attempted armed robbery at the house of Ex-Warrant Officer Patrick Kuntor, former Aide de Camp of former President Rawlings, was an assassination attempt.

The CID was reacting to assertions by aides to the former president that he cut short his visit to Botswana because of reports of an attempt on the life of his bodyguard in Accra.

The Ghana News Agency quotes sources at the CID as saying that investigations so far showed that it was " an ordinary armed robbery"

The sources said the robbers had wanted to take advantage of Mr Kuntor's long absence from home on his farm at Wenchi, but were surprised when he fired into the air to scare them off and wounded one of them in a subsequent exchange of fire.

Mr Kuntor's house at Haatso, near Madina, was on early Tuesday invaded by armed men who, after an exchange of fire fled. Mr Kuntor told the GNA on Wednesday that the armed men came to his house shortly after he returned home from his farm at Wenchi.

A statement from the Office of the former President said he returned home on Wednesday after cutting short his visit to Botswana following report of an attempt on the life of his bodyguard in Accra.

In the meantime the Police have appealed to all health centres and hospitals to inform them when anybody with gunshot wounds report for treatment.