General News of Monday, 23 March 2009

Source: From Wise Donkor, Nkwanta

NDC Youth Strike Again

The Nkwanta National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth have joined their colleagues in Accra and other parts of the country in the vehicle snatching spree, with the Nkwanta District Coordinator of the Non-formal Education Division (NFED) and other supervisors being their first victims.

Information available to DAILY GUIDE indicates that the youth, numbering about 40 and allegedly led by the NDC Constituency Youth Organizer, Alidu Musah aka Suraj, rushed on the NFED Coordinator during one of her official supervision duties and seized her car.

They dragged the driver from behind the steering wheel, seized the keys and drove away, forcing the Coordinator to do the rest of her journey on foot.

When the Coordinator asked the gang leader the reason for their action, he allegedly told her that “you are an NPP activist and now that we are in power, you must handover all government properties in your care”.

He was alleged to have further added that the NFED “is political and now that we are in power we have dissolved its activities until further notice”.

Subsequently, the group allegedly went to the houses of various NFED supervisors well-armed and forcefully took possession of their official motorbikes.

As at press time yesterday, they have allegedly seized eight motorbikes and promised to return to seize those of other supervisors they did not meet.

After the illegal seizure, the youth took the vehicle and motorbikes to the Nkwanta Police Station where the police allegedly refused to keep them as they have no reason or order to do so.

When DAILY GUIDE visited the Nkwanta Township on Wednesday, some of the seized motorbikes were parked at the NDC constituency office whiles the vehicle was parked at the premises of the District Assembly.

Narrating her ordeal to this paper, the Nkwanta South District Coordinator of the NFED, Mrs. Margaret Gyamfi, said at about 6pm on Saturday, March 11, her vehicle was suddenly crossed by a group of about 40 men led by one man she recognized as Alidu Musah who happens to be the NDC Constituency Youth Organizer. They demanded the keys to the vehicle.

She noted that considering the number of the group which besieged the vehicle, she asked her driver to give the keys to them.

Mrs. Gyamfi continued that the youth who subsequently drove the vehicle away later told her that she was paying for transferring one Agbate Alhassan, her former driver, from Nkwanta to Sogakope; a situation they said was an attempt by the Coordinator to send their friend away because he is an NDC activist.

The Coordinator however told this paper that her former driver was queried on two different occasions for careless driving but he ignored the query and repeated the same act.

She explained that on one occasion, they were almost lynched when the driver almost run over a bicycle rider and instead of being remorseful, he threw words at the occupants of the vehicle including herself. “The manner in which he drove the vehicle afterwards forced all of us to alight when we have not reached our destination,” she narrated.

“After all the queries without seeing any improvement, I reported the issue to my regional boss and subsequently got him transferred.”

According to Mrs. Gyamfi, she asked the driver to handover all NFED properties in his possession including a motorbike; a development she alleged is responsible for the behaviour of the NDC youth in the area.

Mrs. Gyamfi noted that what actually surprised her was that before the incident, she was invited by the District Assembly Coordinator, Mr. M.O.K Nugborlo who questioned her as to what sort of work the NFED was doing and further demanded to know the number of motorbikes her supervisors have in their possession.

During the encounter, Mr. Nugborlo allegedly told her that he was acting on the orders of some people who came to complain that the vehicle was being used in the night.

He alleged: “It’s your people oo; I don’t want them to go and beat you and your driver up in the night.”

Mrs. Gyamfi said it therefore surprised her that a day after this encounter with the District Assembly Coordinator, the NDC youth came for her vehicle with a threat that they were dissolving the NFED.