NRC Considering Dismissal Of P&T Workers

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) is considering the case of all 200 former employees of the then Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (P&T), who were dismissed by radio announcement in December 1984.

Justice Kweku Etru Amua-Sekyi, Chairman of the Commission, said the Commission would soon take a decision on the affected workers and communicate the outcome to them.

Amua-Sekyi made the announcement on Wednesday at the Commission's public hearing in Accra after John Ayittey Hammond, a former driver of P&T, had told the story of his dismissal by a radio announcement on 24 December 1984.

Hammond said he worked with the Corporation for 10 years without any query. He said after the announcement he made several efforts to find out from the Corporation why he was dismissed, but he had no tangible reason.

Hammond said four senior officers out of the 200 employees were paid their benefits but the rest, including him, were not paid any benefits. He said his petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on his plight was without success. He told the NRC that he wanted his benefits.

Led in evidence by Mrs Juliana Ewuraesi Amonoo-Neizer, ex-Corporal George Davor, formerly of the Military Police, said one day in October, 1984 when he reported for duty, he was asked by his Commanding Officer if there was any link between him and Major Courage Quashigah.

His Commanding Officer, Major Gboglah then told him that there was a telephone message inviting him to report at the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). Davor, who is in his 40s but is a pensioner, said a vehicle soon arrived and he was driven to the BNI Headquarters at about 0900 hours.

He was made to sit down for about three hours and then sent to a "small room" located near the 37 Military Hospital. "Periodically people came to spy on me and at about three o'clock I was made to face a panel."

The panel members comprised one Brigadier Kpetoe, Commander Baafuour Assasie-Gyimah and Peter Nanfuri, the BNI boss.

He said the panel asked him if he had heard of the arrest and detention of Major Quashigah and how he felt. Davor said he told his interrogators that he only knew Major Quashigah as his superior officer.

The panellists then told him that they had had information that he had conspired to stage a coup to overthrow the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Davor said at about 2300 hours, he was taken in a Nissan Patrol vehicle, dressed with a ladies' apparel and driven back to the BNI and released.

Three days later he was invited again to the BNI, sent to the BNI Annex, asked the same questions but this time with more seriousness. He said his interrogators accused him of joining one Agbetor and Zogah to visit Major Quashigah's house in their preparation to stage a coup to oust the PNDC regime.

Davor said he denied knowing about the preparations to stage a coup. He said he had been in Quashigah's house not on the Major's invitation, but because he accompanied Agbetor as a friend.

Davor said Agbetor was at this point brought in and was jittery when he (Davor) questioned him on a letter he (Agbetor) said was written by Major Quashigah inviting him (Davor) to take part in the said coup.

Davor said the next morning he was driven to Nsawam Prison and kept in solitary confinement for one month and later transferred to the main prison. Davor said Agbetor was also brought to the Nsawam Prisons. He added that Agebtor in the presence of Prisons Officers, including the Prisons Director B. T. Baba apologised to him for framing him up.

He said Baba made him write a petition but it fell on deaf ears. Davor then narrated a chilling story of how an elderly man, who the other detainees called Nana, brought from the James Fort Prisons, died painfully in his cell.

One day at about 2100 hours, he was watching when Nana began panting for breath. Davor said he called a Prisons Officer to help Nana, but he refused. The old man continued panting until he died. Davor said the marks left by Nana, believed to be a chief from Sefwi Praso, were visible at the cell.

Davor said he spent two-and-a-half years in incarceration and was prematurely discharged from the military after about 15 years' service. He said upon enquiries he learned that his discharge was an "order from the Castle."

He said he had been paid his pension since his discharge but his premature discharge affected his career. Davor prayed the Commission to adjust his rank to that of his colleagues some of whom, he said, are Warrant Officers, to get proper pension to cater for his three children.