The Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has concluded that the actions taken by operatives of his outfit against Citi News‘ Caleb Kudah, breached the ministry’s operating procedures.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah emphatically pointed this out in a statement issued on Friday, May 21, 2021.
The Minister had commissioned an investigation into the assault on Caleb Kudah and the raid on Citi FM and Citi TV by its officers.
The Ministry of National Security has thus withdrawn its Director of Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman, and three other police officers attached to the outfit.
While Lt. Col. Agyeman is to report to the Chief of Defence for further probe and appropriate sanctions, the three officers are to be investigated by the Ghana Police Service and possibly face disciplinary action.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah in the statement said: “The Committee [that investigated the case] established that the conduct of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman (Director of Operations) and some police officers at the Ministry on the said day was inappropriate and contravened the Ministry’s standard operating procedures.”
“The secondment of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman (Director of Operations) at the Ministry has been reversed. The officer is to report to the Chief of Defence for further investigations and appropriate action” he added in the statement.
The Ministry’s statement also concluded that Mr. Kudah’s entry into the National Security Ministry was unlawful, though it did not state which law was breached.
How we got here
Mr. Caleb Kudah was arrested at the National Security Ministry on May 11, 2021, for filming abandoned MASLOC vehicles parked at the premises of the Ministry.
He was at the Ministry to verify a claim by an official of MASLOC that all the cars procured by the agency had been given out.
This was after Caleb Kudah had complained about the wastage of public funds on social media.
A team of heavily-armed SWAT police officers subsequently were dispatched to arrest Citi News‘ Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo at the premises of Citi FM/Citi TV.
This was because Caleb had forwarded some of the footage he captured to Zoe via WhatsApp.
Mr. Caleb Kudah in an interview with Bernard Avle on The Point Of View on Citi TV indicated that he was slapped several times by the security officers.
About 15 organizations including civil society groups and political parties, had condemned the incident and backed calls for investigations while calling for reforms in the national security setup.
The Ministry of National Security subsequently assured that it was investigating the case.
Management of Citi FM/Citi TV petitioned the National Media Commission to ensure that the issue to investigated and brought its logical conclusion.
Citi FM/Citi TV also petitioned a number of agencies including the Christian Council and the Ghana Bar Association.
