Colonel Festus Aboagye (retired), a security analyst, has alleged that one of the police officers killed in connection with bullion van robberies in Accra had criminal tendencies before joining the Ghana Police Service.
The police on Tuesday (8 March) announced they have killed two officers and arrested four others linked with bullion van robberies.
Talking to Kwaku Nhyira-Addo on Friday (11 March), Aboagye questioned the procedure followed in recruiting officers into the Ghana Police Service.
“At least since I was back in Ghana 2017, there have been questions every now and then raised about recruitment into our national institutions, especially the security institutions including National Security, that to me I think is still a problem.
“Now only last night, there is some anecdotal evidence on social media that one of the persons who have been killed, had some criminal tendencies in two secondary schools that he attended to the extent that in the first instance, he was dismissed,” he said.
“He went to a second school and the school find his behaviours unacceptable and was sacked from boarding, so how did this character find himself into the police service? Would this suggest that the police did not do due diligence of rigorously going into the backgrounds of these individuals?” Aboagye asked.
He called on the security agencies to review their recruitment processes.
“But all of us including ourselves when we apply to join the Ghana Armed Forces, while we were under training certain national officers were going to our schools and villages and wherever we have listed that we lived and asking questions about us, did we do this in the case of this particular individual?” he added.
Four police officers, civilian charged and remanded
The circuit court in Accra on Wednesday (9 March) remanded into police custody four police officers and a civilian arrested recently in connection with bullion van robberies in Ghana.
Their plea for bail was not taken after it was opposed by the prosecution, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sylvester Asare, who argued that the Police Service is still carrying out investigations into the case and will require the assistance of the five accused.
Of the five suspects, two – Albert Ofosu and Affisu Yaro Ibrahim – have been charged with attempt to commit crime and robbery. The others – Richard Boadu, Razak Alhassan and Rabiu Jambedu – have been charged with abetment of crime and robbery.
The five were picked up at a hideout after a police intelligence-led raid at Borteyman near Ashaiman on Tuesday 8 March.
The case has been adjourned to Monday 28 March 2022.
Fred Dzakpata
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