"I want to return home, but I have nowhere to lay my head"

Alhaji Mohammed Abbass Mensah, a petty trader and transport owner, who has been in exile for 18 years on Thursday told the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) that he was tired of living in exile.

He, therefore, appealed to the Commission to help him secure a place to stay when he returned home.

"I am now like a school boy, who has completed his education and wants to come home, but I have nowhere to lay my head. I am now 67 years old and cannot continue to live in exile for the rest of my life," he told the Commission.

Alhaji Abbass, who was a member of the erstwhile People's National Party (PNP), said he went into exile in 1985 after the PNDC accused him of inviting mercenaries to kill Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings at the Kumasi Sports Stadium after a durbar and overthrow his government.

He said the soldiers, who wanted to arrest him, led by Captain Pattington, looted his house, took all his property away and demolished his storey building at Kumasi.

Witness said his 78-seater Neoplan bus and four Peugeot caravans he was using for his transport services were also seized in 1979 when he was arrested at a rally and accused of teaming up with General Acheampong to establish Union Government.

He said though he was in the house when Capt. Pattington and his men came to arrest him, it was God who helped him sneak out as they were focusing on shooting at him in his bedroom upstairs.

He said the soldiers also took away 12 million cedis, 12 lorry tyres and feasted on 20 of his goats.

He said his plot of land on which his building stood now has two houses built on it and called on the Commission to establish who built on it.

Alhaji Abbass said he bought the house, which was demolished, at 150,000 cedis from Mr F. D. Nsiah Asare, a timber merchant.

Alhaji Abbass said his ordeal started on June 20, 1979 when he was arrested at the rally.

He was detained at the Fourth Battalion Military Barracks in Kumasi for two weeks. His brother and nephew, who visited him were beaten, shaved and detained.

He said he sent a petition to the Limman government but to no avail.

Witness said after the December 31st coup, he and some other Members of Parliament were asked to report at the Kumasi Central Police Station where for two months they sat under a tree during the day and slept at charge office at night.

The men included Mr S. K. Mensah, Mr Adarkwa, MP Obuasi, Mr Berko, MP Offinso, Mr Adum-Atta, MP Bekwai and one Odeefo Asare, who died later.

Nana Kwame Akowia II, Chief of Berekese, corroborated the story but could not confirm whether Alhaji Abbass paid the 150,000 cedis to Mr Asare.

He said Alhaji Abass gave 100 bags of cement to Mr Asare saying that one bag was sold at the time at about 1,000 cedis.