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General News of Friday, 30 November 2012

Source: The Herald Newspaper

“All Die Be Die” army machetes unveiled in Kyebi

The Abuakwa South Constituency in the Eastern Region is currently a no go area for some political parties following the distribution of over 500 machetes to diehard supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The constituency has Lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea as its Member of Parliament (MP). Kyebi, the adopted hometown of the NPP Presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo is beyond security, especially for police officers in the town, The Herald learnt.

The deadly cutlasses, have the name of the NPP flagbearer together with the party’s logo and an “all die be die inscription boldly embossed on the blades, and are going to be used for special operations.

“I hear NDC is sharing CUTLASSES with the inscription ALL DIE BE DIE! I urge all suffering farmers to take them gratefully and work very hard to produce because their very livelihood and lives depend on working hard for our common good for which the slogan All Die Be Die translates!,” was what Executive Director of Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare-Ochere Darko said on his social media platform facebook yesterday on the subject.

Mr. Asare-Ochere Darko, is a cousin to the NPP flagbearer, Nana Addo.

A fright-filled native of the town, reluctantly disclosed that the NPP executives in the Constituency have ordered the beneficiaries of the machetes not to use it, but will be notified on when and how to use it.

The 25-year old native (name withheld), said he initially thought the cutlasses were meant for illegal miners in the East Akim Municipalities, from the NPP in order to court their votes but subsequent instructions to beneficiaries to wait for orders before using the machetes was what drew his apprehension. According to him lots of people who are not supporters of the NPP are afraid.

More dangerous, the native lamented, is the situation that smaller towns like ‘Apapem, Ahuinieasi, Adadientem among other villages within the Abuakwa South Constituency have no mobile phone coverage to make emergency phone calls for timely security intervention in the event of possible electoral violence.

The situation, however, is more worrying considering the current state of affairs in Kyebi, when supporters of the NPP went on a destruction of all NDC- labeled items, last week, following the announcement that President John Mahama was coming to the town for campaign.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kwabena Dwamena Yaboah has admitted seeing a photograph of the “all-die- be-die” cutlasses when he spoke to The Republic newspaper in a phone interview, adding even though he has heard about the NPP “all-die-be-die-cutlasses”, the regional command is yet to receive a formal complaints on them.

This is contrary to reports that a large consignment of the machetes were recently intercepted and sent to the regional command for investigations.

But the Regional Police Commander insists, he is not privy to allegations that the machetes were to be used for special operations.

DCOP Dwamena Yaboah disclosed that, his men were combing the Kyebi town to ensure that they arrest anyone found with the deadly cutlasses.

A trip through the Abuakwa South Constituency, one could rarely see anyone in T- shirts or posters belonging to any other party, particularly the ruling NDC due to fear of being attacked by political opponents.

Strangely, the security coordinator of the NPP flagbearer Captain Coda jumped to the defense of his party when the issue was raised on an Accra-based FM, last Wednesday. He said he was yet to see a picture of the cutlass or the real thing, but for now, to him the reports are mere false rumors, adding he was yet to investigate the claims.