*… Denies National Security’s involvement In Movie Shop Raid *

The National Security Co-ordinator, Lt- Col. (Rtd) Larry Gbevlo-Lartey, has distanced the office of the National Security from the raid that was conducted at the offices of a film producer which led to the seizure of over 13,000 copies of a new movie titled “Atta Mortuary Man”.

Mr. Gbevlo-Lartey said the production house that produced the film was stormed by police officers, and not National Security operatives, adding that the media and the Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Parliament, could have done itself a lot of good to it had tried to find out from the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, led Rose Atingah Bio.

A movie producer, Mr. Asamoah, on Sunday, May 29, told Citi News that his office was raided by National Security operatives who seized 13,000 copies of his latest movie, “Atta Mortuary Man”.

The name ‘Atta Mortuary Man’, became popular after former President Mr. Rawlings, during a speech at the NDC’s Congress in Tamale last year made reference to an ‘Atta’ friend of his, who works in the mortuary at the 37 Military Hospital, in Accra.

Some persons had surmised from that reference that the former President sought to make mockery of the sitting President whom he has often criticized, and described as a failure.

The Minority in Parliament on Thursday June 2, this year slammed the National Security for raiding the movie shop.

A statement issued and signed by the Minority spokesperson on Defence, Interior and National Security, William Ofori Boafo, said that there was no justification for the raid two Saturdays ago.

However, speaking for the first time on the issue on Citi FM’s Political Talk Show the “Big Issue” last Saturday, June 4, Lt. Col. Gbevlo-Lartey said National Security operatives were not in any way involved in the raid at the movie shop.

He said the raid was solely conducted by the police who acted upon a tip off from some members of the public concerned about the title of the movie.

“The regional police in Accra are the people involved in this, the BNI have absolutely nothing to do with this. BNI were not involved, the National Security Council Secretariat was not involved in this in any way,” Lt- Col. Gbevlo-Lartey told the Accra-based radio station.

He added that operatives of the National Security are very conversant with their job description and would not meddle in issues that do not concern them.