Wrangling within Security apparatus forebodes danger - Boakye Djan

Tema, Jan. 18, GNA - The wrangling within State security apparatus forebodes danger and there is the need for immediate mediation, Osahene Major Boakye Djan (rtd), Head of Government in erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), told the GNA on Friday.

He called on the Members of the Council of State and the appropriate committee of Parliament to exercise their constitutionally mandated advisory roles to intervene and prevail upon President John Agyekum Kufuor and Mr Francis Poku, Former National Security Minister, to resolve their differences.

Osahene Boakye Djan, who was speaking after he had issued a press statement to the GNA in Tema, said the situation was a recipe for interventions, warning that "coups have been happening on the back of national crisis.

"The situation is preparing grounds for intervention so the situation should be handled with care", the Former AFRC Member stated. He said the media and the public have the responsibility to stop the drift into major security destruction.

In the media release, which was copied to the Speaker of Parliament and the Chairman of the Council of State, Osahene Boakye Djan said: "As a former national security operative and user of national security products in government, the developments give me a cause for grave concern. The statement announcing the change was terse, brief and to the point".

It stated further that it did not give reasons for the announcement and its timing.

The release said speculations gave way to engaged activism and coverage by the media and the general public mainly on the procedural handling of the event.

"There is a turf of war going on in the National Security Community that reaches right up to the Presidency itself that has now been allowed to boil over into the open. "It indicates that the problem is so pervasive and deeply entrenched that it would simply not blow away by itself and in a way that some known parties to the case may have hoped. "There are hidden threats to our collective security that have been triggered by the event and that in turn would need to be addressed urgently and out of public glare."

The statement warned that the issue be treated urgently since "there is little precious time left to find a solution to the ongoing crisis".

President Kufuor on Saturday relieved Mr Poku of his position and on Wednesday a number of armed security personnel were seen at Mr Poku's residence. The mission of the security detail was unclear at the time and there were media reports that he was under house arrest. The Office of the President later issued a release signed by Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, Minister of Information and National Orientation, that Mr Poku was not under house arrest as was being speculated in a section of the media.

It said the Police detail that went to Mr Poku's residence were to replace his former security detail that consisted of military personnel. It described the exercise as a norm with all Ministers, and "Mr. Francis Poku as a security professional himself is very aware of these routine procedures".

It said as the routine was, the National Security Council, in conformity with world-wide practice, initiated a process of "debriefing and completing a handing-over procedure". The statement said; "surprisingly the detail met some press men at the premises, who apparently misunderstood their presence and carried the news in an exaggerated fashion, calling the incident a 'house arrest'.

The statement said: "This statement is to confirm that Mr Francis Poku is NOT and has not been under house arrest, and that the events of this morning have been the routine workings of the National Security. "Government assures the entire nation that the ongoing events are in the best interest of the country", it said.

Mr Poku had earlier expressed misgivings over the incident, describing it as "unfortunate and uncalled for".

"I have nothing to hide and I am collaborating with the authorities to ensure a smooth handing over. I would soon hand over my notes", he told some newsmen at his residence in Accra. "But my misgivings about this whole episode is the implication it holds for our national security, the numerous speculations being peddled around, and especially as the country prepares to host the CAN 2008 and the impending elections", he said.

Many sympathizers, among them notable political figures and opinion leaders, trooped to Mr Poku's residence to ascertain whether he was really under house arrest as reported in the media. 18 Jan. 08