General News of Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Source: Daily Guide

Man Arrested Over Prez Mahama

A 36-year-old man was yesterday caught and beaten by some supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for allegedly distributing flyers thought to be Anti-President John Mahama.

Kofi Amoako was said to have been seen around ‘Spanner Junction’ near the Tetteh Quarshie roundabout area distributing the leaflets, some of which contained issues such as who President Mahama was, the failed STX Korean housing deal, the president’s brother, Ibrahim Mahama’s private jet and his over $50million debt to Merchant Bank and a host of others to passers-by around 8am.

Out of nowhere, four young men emerged in an E.T Mensah-branded campaign vehicle led by one Habib Mohammed, said to be a Coordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), and started chasing him. When they caught Amoako, who was said to be wearing an NPP T-shirt, they beat him severely.

It took the intervention of a Good Samaritan to save him from the hands of the hoodlums who were forcing him into a waiting taxi cab.

The Good Samaritan subsequently led both sides in his car to the Airport police station with blood-stained and torn clothes.

Less than 30 minutes after they arrived at the police station, the president’s brother, Ibrahim Mahama of Engineers and Planners fame, was said to have arrived in a Porsche Cayenne with customized registration number ‘Pepeni-11’, followed by a John Mahama-branded pick-up with loads of NDC supporters.

Ibrahim was said to have gone to see the district police commander in his office to have a word with him.

Meanwhile, the NDC supporters who had gathered at the police station were said to be making inflammatory statements and threatening mayhem.

Some leading members of the NPP, including former Press Secretary to President Kufuor Kwabena Agyepong, Mike Oquaye Jnr., the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Emmanuel Agyarko, who got wind of the arrest of their party man, went to the scene.

Just as Mr Oquaye was about to assist the victim to write his statement, Presidential staffer Baffoe Bonnie was said to have arrived at the station in another John Mahama-branded vehicle with registration number GX 1910-12.

He was also said to have gone to see the district commander and not long afterwards, he returned to his car and sped off.

But Habib and his colleagues who had allegedly beaten the man were also said to have been let off the hook.

Not even the plea by the NPP men to be allowed to take the victim to the hospital would convince the police authorities since according to a source, they were told there was ‘an order from above’ for Kofi Amoako to be transferred to the Greater Accra regional police command where he was later granted a police enquiry bail.

Indications are that the victim has been asked to report at the police station this morning.