NPP 'cabal' axed Agyapong, Afoko for controlling vigilante groups - Sammy Crabbe

Former Second Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Crabbe has revealed that two of his colleagues, Kwabena Agyapong, Former General Secretary of the party and Former National Chairman, Paul Afoko were both eliminated from the party because they tried to follow due diligence.

Mr. Crabbe explained that the two aforementioned tried to control a group that was assembled to provide security for the party; the invisible forces, a decision that many party members opposed hence instigating their suspension.

He believes managing the Invisible forces would have prevented the group from getting out of control as they have today and expressed fear at the possibility of the group becoming like Nigeria’s militant group, Boko Haram.

“When Kwabena Agyapong and Afoko were trying to regulate the invisible forces, it was part of the charges that they threw at them. What did we see? That judge who was chased, the officer who was beaten, the journalists who were beaten up, did they ever think that what Kwabena Agyapong was doing, if he had succeeded would have probably saved them?”, he quizzed

He said the decision to control the affairs of the Invisible Forces then, was to manage their activities and instill in them the required level of discipline.

“Kwabena Agyapong and Afoko met a group of people who had been brought together to provide security for the party,( invisible forces ) and they thought that they needed to have a command and control setup, so you know what they do, where they go, how the things they do happen. There was a development where certain individuals were influencing them in ways and we also needed to have some discipline, so the then general secretary and national chairman were trying to provide that discipline and then some people went to make things up and so what happened? Kwabena Agyapong and Afoko out. No structure, no control.



Mr Crabbe was suspended indefinitely along with the party’s Chairman Paul Afoko and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyapong for allegedly working against the interest of the NPP ahead of the 2016 general elections.

The National Executive Committee of the NPP acted based on results of the party's Disciplinary Committee and suspended the trio on 10 December 2015. The suspensions followed a petition brought against the three by some party members.

The NPP vigilante groups invisible forces and Delta forces have in recent times have been associated with several acts of violence across the country.

The groups have on several occasions executed unlawful acts with impunity and rarely have been reprimanded by law enforcement agencies.

There have been calls for these groups to be demobilized as their numbers increase and their audacity stronger.