Politics of Monday, 31 March 2008

Source: Lens

NDC Man's House Burned

Some unidentified individuals suspected to be sympathizers of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) last Saturday attempted to burn down the house of Alhaji Misbaw Bello, an NDC activist.

The incidence occurred in the wee hours of Saturday at Kokrobite, a suburb of Accra. Fortunately he escaped unhurt but some of his belongings were ravaged by the fire. The estimated cost of the destroyed items runs into thousands of Ghana cedis.

Alhaji Bello, it will be recalled, is the leader of a group of NDC activists numbering 500, who recently shocked the DFP by refusing to succumb to the latter cash induced defection to Obed Asamoah's party.

The Lens got to the scene at about 10 am on Saturday to ascertain the extent of the damage. The fire had completely burned clothes, a television set, windows, stationery, part of his bed and some electrical appliances.

Speaking to the Lens, Alhaji Bello said he suspected foul play on the part of Obed Asamoah and his party. He said he will not be surprised that Nana Akufo-Addo, whom he described as a co-sponsor of the DFP, also knows something about it.

He intimated that people like Frances Essiam of the DFP, in reaction to the disgrace Alhaji Bello and his friends brought upon the DFP, had threatened him.

Frances Essiam, recently on Hello FM in Kumasi threatened that I will never have peace for causing damage to the DFP.

He added that he had been receiving death threats from phones with ID withheld numbers ever since.

Narrating his ordeal, he said that at about 2 am, he awoke with a start as a result of the strong scent of petrol in his room. He immediately discovered that his window was ablaze with fire which had started spreading to other parts of the room.

He asserts that but for the timely intervention of his co-tenants who heard his screams and helped put off the fire the whole property would have been completely burned down.

He also luckily escaped with no injuries. This, he said, was because he had slept on the floor near the door due to heat in the room.

As at noon on Saturday, when The Lens left the scene, no police officer had come over even though Bello said he had been to the Police station twice to lodge a complaint.