Editor pleads for return of stolen educational certificates

THE MANAGING Editor of the Gye Nyame Concord newspaper, Mr. Alfred Ogbamey, has appealed to the general public and any public spirited person who may have come by his several stolen documents from his vehicle, including all his educational certificates acquired in life, to please return it to him.

In a press statement issued and signed yesterday by Mr Ogbamey, he said that a little over three months ago he assembled almost all educational documents he has acquired in life, including all original documents he obtained during a course he undertook at the George Washington University, USA, and others, to photocopy and send to an academic institution in the UK.

However, according to him, someone “professionally” broke into his car and made away with all the documents and has to date, not returned them.

He mentioned the other documents as; Diploma from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ); ‘A’ and ‘O’ level school certificates from the schools he attended as well as the original West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificates issued at these two levels; certificates from a number of training programmes he has attended since completing school and a filled application form for a University of London Bachelor Degree in Law programme.

He noted that the big brown envelope in which he packed these items also contained a US Social Security Card, marriage certificate, picture, bank savings passbook and statement of accounts withdrawal book as well as British Council (Accra office) attested copies of his original educational certificates meant to be sent to the University of London.

“The package also included registration documents on Concord Media Limited, publishers of the GYE NYAME CONCORD newspaper, two other companies and a host of other important documents”, he revealed.

He further stated that he packed all these documents in the same envelope to be photocopied in order to ensure that he had a back-up of them because of the harrowing experiences he continued to have as a result of his stolen Ghanaian Passport with NO HO505131 and his strong belief that the impact of the theft of the passport had been lessened by the fact that he managed to get some photocopies of the original passport to ease the procession of a new passport for him.

“Unfortunately, I wish to report that l realised later in the day that all these documents were stolen from my car”, Mr Ogbamey pleaded.

He said he has kept quiet all this while about the theft because, as he put it, he thought whoever planned and executed this “professional” act would return the documents after making use of them.

However, according the Managing Editor, he has since not set an eye nor heard anything about the documents.

Mr Alfred Ogbamey is therefore pleading with anyone who may have knowledge of these stolen very important documents to, as a matter of urgency, let him have them through any medium favourable to the person for a handsome reward.

Meanwhile, he says he has since lodged a formal complaint with the police and has also petitioned a number of relevant state institutions to deal with the matter appropriately.

Below is the full press statement:

A little over three month ago, I assembled almost all educational documents l have acquired in life, including all original documents I obtained as a result of a course at the George Washington University, USA; Diploma from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ); ‘A’ and ‘O’ level school certificates from the schools where I obtained them, as well as the original West African Examinations Council (WAEC) certificates issued at these two levels; certificates from a number of training programmes l have attended since completing school and a filled application form for a University of London Bachelor Degree in Law programme, to photocopy and send to the academic institution in the UK.

The big brown envelope in which l packed these items also contained a US Social Security Card, marriage certificate, picture, bank savings passbook and statements, account withdrawal book as well as British Council (Accra office) attested copies of my original educational certificates meant to be sent to the University of London.

The package also included registration documents on Concord Media Limited, publishers of the GYE NYAME CONCORD newspaper, two other companies and a host of other important documents

I packed all these documents in the same envelope to be photocopied in order to ensure that l have a back-up of them, because of the harrowing experiences I continue to have as a result of my stolen Ghanaian passport, NO HO505131 and my strong belief that the impact of the theft of the passport has been lessened by the fact that l managed to get some photocopies of the original passport to ease the procession of a new passport for me.

Unfortunately, I wish to report that l realised later in the day that all these documents were stolen from my car.

Confused and desperate, I chose to believe that maybe, just maybe, the stolen documents would be returned to me after whoever orchestrated the break-in had made use of them.

I have since lodged an official complaint on these stolen documents with the Police Administration and an extract issued on the theft to me, passed word around on the quiet to friends on the incident and those I suspect could be behind the theft; petitioned the National Security Minister, Information and National Orientation Minister, Director of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and Director of Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and waited, hoping against hope, that the documents would be returned to me after whoever sponsored the professional break-in of my car has had them photocopied.

I have been under the illusion that if l kept quiet and pretended l had not noticed the theft, it would make it easier for the perpetrators or the brains behind the act to easily orchestrate the return of the documents without much fuss, and that making noise about it could dissuade them from doing so. My hopes have been dashed.

I now wish to appeal to any public spirited person as well as members of the general public who may have come by these several stolen documents from my vehicle, including all my educational certificates acquired in life, to please return it to me.

I plead with anyone who has come by these documents, especially my educational certificates acquired thorough these years to please return it to me either by posting it to the GYE NYAME CONCORD newspaper, by dropping it at any radio station to be forwarded to me or by sending it to the CONCORD or any newspaper or TV station to be given to me.

The theft of these documents was the second time within the year, 2007, that l have suffered a loss through theft. The first was the theft of my Ghanaian passport NO HO505131, its most recent photocopy, and a host of other documents.

Significantly, in the second and most recent incident, no signs of forceful entry into my car were left, except that the doors were left unlocked after the act, with other packs of documents in the car left untouched, leaving me to conclude that this was a purposeful, deliberate and professional act.

Yours faithfully, (signed) Alfred Ogbamey Managing Editor, Gye Nyame Concord cc: All Media Houses