General News of Saturday, 13 April 2019

Source: pulseghana.com

Prosecute 'Double' and reassign DSP Azugu - Short Commission

Members of the Ayawaso West Wuogon commission Members of the Ayawaso West Wuogon commission

The final report by the commission of enquiry constituted to investigate the melee that happened during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election recommends that DSP Samuel Kojo Azugu should re-assigned.

The commission, which was headed by Justice Emile Short, also said national security operative Ernest Akomea, popularly known as 'Double', should be prosecuted.

According to Accra based Starr FM, the report demanded that commander of the SWAT team at the National Security Council Secretariat, DSP Azugu should be removed “from command responsibility.”

The report said DSP Azugu failed to “appropriately command and control the SWAT team of which he had charge during the operation at the La Bawaleshie school polling station. It is recommended that he should be reassigned by the IGP.”

During the sitting of the commission, Double who was accused of leading the team that assaulted the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George denied the charge and refuted allegations that he was part of a pro-government vigilante group called Invisible Forces.

He told Short's Commission, "Yes, I went to Asutsuare for three weeks…We were trained in reading maps, how to speak on the GoTa, pound to pound combat and basic weapons handling".

Justice Emile Short Commission recommended “the criminal prosecution” of the operative “for the unauthorized possession of firearms under section 192(1) of the Criminal Offences Act.”

Further the Commission which sat for a month, recommended that the head of the SWAT Team Colonel Mike Opoku must be reprimanded “for being ultimately responsible for the outcome of the SWAT operation at the La Bawaleshie School Polling Station.”

“His liability is further reinforced by his failure to properly define the mission for which the SWAT team was sent and ensuring that the SWAT team complied with the defined mission.

"He failed to conduct an internal inquiry into identifying the culprits of the offence when revelations became rife that there were operational lapses resulting in violations of human rights."