General News of Thursday, 21 May 2009

Source: GNA

Yahuda Security Management Consulting under fire

... Company was incorporated yesterda
A Ghanaian living in the United Kingdom, has questioned the credibility of Yahuda Security Management Consulting which last Tuesday told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that it was ready to assist the national security agencies in the fight against narcotic drugs.

"It (Yahuda Security Management Consulting) is not one of the UK's security agencies. This is not true," Mr Timothy Afful, told GNA on Thursday when he called from the UK after reading the story.

Mr Afful said he was "deeply concerned" about the report and checked the Companies House of the UK. "I can tell you that prior to your news report the company did not exist. It was incorporated at UK's Companies House only yesterday (Wednesday)."

He said he intended going to the registered address of the company on Thursday to question the occupant, adding "the registered address is a residential flat".

Mr Afful is also asking the Ghana High Commission to run a check on the company and advice the government immediately. Two officials of Yahuda Securities Management Consulting came to the offices of the GNA on Tuesday and said in an interview that they intended to assist national security agencies in the fight against narcotics.

They said they would discuss with national security officials wide-ranging security matters, international trade in drugs including cocaine, illegal arms, armed robbery and links to possible terrorism. Ms Cynthia Mensa, Senior Director of Yahuda Security Consulting, said the offer was initiated during the recent visit of President John Atta Mills to the UK.

"Officials of Yahuda were inspired by the humility and commitment of President Mills' team during interaction with the Ghanaian community in the UK and keen to assist the government in whatever way possible to prevent Ghana from descending into a hub of the international trade in hard drugs and related items," Ms Mensa stated.

In a related development, Dr Ebenezer Tetteh, Chief Executive Officer of Yahuda Security Management Consulting, in a statement to Ghana News Agency said areas of particular interest were realistic optimisation of airport and coastal security, protection of sensitive strategic installations, stemming the tide of the drugs trade and prevention of terrorism.
He said: "It is unacceptable that Ghana, a beacon of African democracy, should degenerate into a superhighway for international cocaine trade."

Dr Tetteh said wherever the trade had flourished, serious crime and proliferation of illegal arms, armed robberies, car hijacking and terrorist activity emerged.
"It would be a tragedy to allow Ghana's respectable international image to be permanently damaged by this extremely worrying development with serious implications for the millions of law-abiding citizens," he said.