Why is Nana Darkwah Arrested for Alleging Rawlings Burned his own Residence?

The fact that Ghana is an emerging democracy does not permit any Tom, Dick and Harry to make preposterous statements with impunity. Every individual in a democratic State is assured of certain fundamental human rights. Among these rights are the right to life and protection, the right to freedom of speech, the right to own property, the right to join any legitimate association of your choice, the right to equal and fair treatment, and so on and so forth.

Nana Darkwah by his nationwide allegation of arson against the Rawlingses demands serious criminal investigation. It may amount to character assassination where the Rawlingses are found to be innocent of the accusation of intentionally or inadvertently torching their own residence. Should this be the case, then he stands to be guilty of defamation of the Rawlingses character. On the other hand if he has convincing reasons or evidence to support his allegation, then he stands to be exonerated of all blame. Some NDC hoodlums claiming to be the party's foot-soldiers are perpetrating and pervading some ongoing nonsensical hullabaloos.

Who in the first place instructed the arrest of Nana Darkwah? I would like to know. The last time I checked it was one Kofi Adams, the personal spokesperson for the Former President, J.J. Rawlings. Nana Darkwah was arrested and remanded in a police cell overnight without the knowledge of Mr. Rawlings and later charged to court. Bravo! Mr. Kofi Adams, for exercising your powers of citizen arrest on Nana Darkwah in a manner that makes you a fool in the eyes of the law. First and foremost, you should have cleared with Rawlings any doubtful possibility of him causing the burning. Once that was confirmed, then his express permission should have been sought before marching to the radio studio to grab Nana Darkwah in that macho style in which you ensured he was bundled into a police van/car.

Why at all should Kofi Adams out of personal volition cause the arrest of Nana Darkwah? Was it out of perceived doubt over the truthfulness, and the gravity of the allegation as made against his boss? Was he trying to appease his boss, Mr. Rawlings that he, Kofi Adams, could be insanely brutish as he, Rawlings? Was he trying to assure Rawlings that he shares the same nonsensical "I am the Ghana's strongest man" view with him and that he could take the laws into his own hands and act anyhow as does Rawlings? Did he out of his animalistic instinct consider Nana Darkwah's allegation of arson against Rawlings a security threat to the State and that he had better act quick before SFOs invade Ghana from another planet? I cannot just fathom the ulterior motive behind that stupid action taken by that nonentity calling himself Kofi Adams. Kofi Adams like all those lawless NDC factionalists in Rawlings’ camp has breached the fundamental human rights of Nana Darkwah. Firstly, he was not instructed to act the way he did, by Togbui Avaklasu Rawlings, the very person whose credibility was being tarnished or questioned. Secondly, Nana Darkwah’s statement never in any way posed/pose security threat to Ghana. Thirdly, who conferred any powers of arrest on him to monitor how people express their views freely on air in Ghana to detect who is infringing on the laws of the land? Kofi Adams has not only acted unfairly towards Nana Darkwah but also, proved to the whole Ghana how bias and stupid he is.

Rawlings, his master, has said worse things and made more serious allegations and accusations against certain individuals in Ghana, and the State of Ghana, yet he is still walking about a free man without the least challenge or reprimand from whomever. Rawlings is on record to have said that he knows those people who killed the twenty nine women in Accra in 1999. He has also said to know who master-minded the killing of Yakubu Andani Ya’Na. He says without shame that he would only reveal the identities of those behind these heinous crimes if he were to be subjected to a “Lie detector” machine or arraigned before the fetish, “Nana Antoa Nyamaa”. As the State or nobody can fulfil his conditions as made known, he is sauntering through the streets of Accra in total bravado still chirping out his nonsense like a hungry bird. Is he not the same person who when delivering talks in overseas did advise foreign investors to shun Ghana? This was his daily attitude during Former President Kufuor’s regime. What a crime to the State!

Where is Kofi Adams? I have just mentioned three things out of the uncountable serious statements bordering on criminality as made by Rawlings. Have you ever thought of chastising him for such irresponsible actions likely to cause major security threat to the State let alone, causing his arrest? No. Why not? What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Is Rawlings untouchable because he is wearing a metal shield of Constitutional “No accountability but Indemnity for himself?” If that shield is making him behave irresponsibly and hence a threat to the nation, then strip him of it. Kofi Adams and all those NDC hooligans have no busy to do as long as Nana Darkwah’s allegation goes. His allegation was directed at Rawlings and Rawlings is the sole person who can initiate any Court action against him. There are no ifs and buts.

Lest I forget, has Kofi Adams arrested that NDC guy whose face is printed in the Newspapers and voice heard over the radios alleging that he had beaten up some NPP sympathiser who may be dead as he was speaking? The victim was at the court to give moral support to Nana Darkwah as a NPP member but was unfortunately confronted by this NDC hooligan and his gang.

Unfortunately, there are two laws operating in Ghana. There is a law for the rich, the strongmen like Rawlings and the NDC party activists, hooligans, foot-soldiers and sympathisers. There is another law for the poor, the weak and all those Ghanaians who do not belong in NDC. This latter group of people are being mistreated under the President Mills’ administration. Rawlings is doing whatever possible to discredit the Mills’ government because Professor Mills is not ready to give ear to his stupid propositions – “Arrest all Kufuor’s NPP Ministers”. What the heck?

How could Rawlings have burned his house if he did it at all? It could either be intentional or unintentional. If it was intentional, what could be the reason behind such absurdity and how was it carried out? Was he trying to divert the anger of the public and the Atta Mills’ NDC faction away from him? Was it a clever way to court the people’s sympathy? He has stepped on a lot of toes. Consequently, he has incurred the anger of many by way of his misconduct. He is not only fond of insulting sitting Presidents but also makes wild goose allegations against those he sees as his enemies. He has by his decrepit actions become his own worst enemy. If he did set fire to his own house, how could he have done it as he was not home but far away in the Volta Region at the time of the fire? Could he have instructed the wife or the daughter to do it? Did he set up an electrical device which was set off from a distance? These are some of the questions to be asked by those forensic investigators charged to determine why and how the house got burnt.

In case he burned the house out of inattention, what could be the likely possibilities? Electrical fault has been of major concern during houses or building burns. Did he have any electrical appliance which he knew to be faulty but still kept using it? Did he by way of forgetfulness leave any electrical pressing iron plugged in overnight? Did he have, or noticed having any faulty electrical power plugs in the house but never attended them appropriately? Did he not cultivate the habit of periodically checking for faulty electrical appliances in his home as may be required by personal health and safety regulations? Should he answer “Yes” to any of the above questions, then he can partially be held culpable for causing fire to his house.

On the other hand, may I ask if he had not left a naked fire on somewhere within the house at the night of their nightmare? Was there no candle lit and left burning when his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang, and daughter, Yaa Asantewaa, went to bed that night? If any candle was left lit, was it out of reach of the house pets? Was the burning not caused by a surge current, a likely possibility when considering the precarious state of power supply in the country with the attendant incessant power outages? It must be noted that the frequent unannounced On and Off power supply to homes in Ghana causes a lot of damage to electrical appliances which at times can cause fire. I will in future narrate my personal encounter about how the ongoing “On & off” power supply in Ghana set fire to my computer in 2008 and the action I took.

To conclude, I say, the useless NDC foot-soldiers with Kofi Adams inclusive have no business to do in this issue of Nana Darkwah alleging that the Rawlingses burned their own residence. Leave it to Mr. Rawlings and his family to deal with him using the Law courts. I am fed up with the nonsense of people taking the laws into their own hands in the name of “yen aban na aba”. Shove that nonsense up your arse. I hate to see or to hear that the security agents in Ghana do absolutely nothing when a NDC foot-soldier commits a crime. Wake up Ghanaians as the NDC are walking us down a dangerous path. Is this the better Ghana President “Asomdwehene” Atta Mills promised Ghanaians?

I am fighting for justice for all. There should be justice for Nana Darkwah. There should be justice for Mr. Rawlings. There should be justice for every citizen of Ghana.

Rockson Adofo