General News of Monday, 26 February 2001

Source: From Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

Security forces storm NDC Vice Chairman’s home

Armed security personnel in the Tamale municipality at the weekend stormed the residence of Alhaji Sumani Zakari, Northern Regional Vice Chairman of the NDC, to conduct a search for weapons, ammunitions and narcotic drugs.

The personnel, comprising the army and the police, could not, however, find any of the items mentioned at the end of the four-hour exercise.

According to Hajia Ramatu Sumani, one of the wives of Alhaji Zakari, the entire household woke up at dawn on Saturday to find that personnel of the security forces had surrounded the house.

She said the security men prevented any of them from leaving the house and that when she sought explanation, she was told by the personnel that they had been asked by “authorities from above” to conduct a search on the house.

“When I asked what they were looking for, because my husband had travelled, they told me they came to search for arms, ammunitions and narcotic drugs,” she stated.

She said they then began their search in the sitting room, but when they got to her husband’s bedrooms, she prevented them from any attempt to force open the doors because her husband had travelled.

Hajia Ramatu said when the personnel insisted on searching the rooms, she demanded their search warrant which, she said, took them some time to produce.

She said the security men then broke the doors to the rooms and “after a thorough search, found nothing except one of the rooms where there were building materials”.

When Graphic contacted Police Headquarters, they were tight-lipped because they claim the Regional Commander was not available.