Some youth of Alavanyo in the Volta region are accusing recently transferred Volta Regional Police Commander of using his position and money to lure some of the youth of the area into “wee cultivation”.
They reveal that wee cultivation is a primary business for many Police men in the area.
Recent violence in the area resulted in the murder of three youth of the area with six others sustaining injuries.
The Police has accused some of the youth of the area of hoarding arms and ammunition to cause havoc during the recent referendum on the creation of new regions; a situation they say resulted in a shootout between some of the youth and military personnel sent there to resolve the situation.
In their Press statement released Wednesday, 23rd January, 2019, the Concerned Citizens of the Volta Region decided to “reveal” what they know about occurrences in the area.
They say DCOP Francis Doku, together with another divisional Police commander resident in Ashaiman has heavily invested in wee cultivation in Alavanyo Dzogbedze.
“According to investigation, it was the Police Officer from Ashaiman who invested GHȻ20, 000. 00 into the business through his brother in the person of Stephen Awana from Kpando but a disloyalty occurred in the deal and police officer called DCOP Francis Doku to meet him at the farm site and he responded without reservation or hesitation these are some of the evidences that proved the regional commander’s involvement in the business.”
They say the regional commander went to Alavanyo Dzogbedze purposely to arrest the labourers that worked on their ‘wee farms’ and when he was prevented by friends of those labourers, “the only alternative was to kill innocent people on the street to quench his thirst for blood taste and he succeeded too”.
The Concerned Citizens of the Volta Region are convinced that for some unknown reason, the transferred Police Commander is bent on planting “seeds of confusion” among the people in the region.
They are calling for the removal from office and prosecution of the former Regional Police Commander for the “crimes” he has committed in the region which they say include “abuse of state power and murder of innocents”. They also want his “business partners” arrested and investigated for further action.
They are also asking the Inspector General of Police to explain the rationale behind the sudden transfer of DCOP Doku from the region. “We don’t know the bases on which he was transferred since human lives are concerned. For heaven sake, the IGP could have allowed the Law to take its cause to that effect. We don’t know what he was trying to portray. We the Concerned Citizens of Volta Region want justice to our beloved lost souls” the statement queried.
Check out the full Press statement below:
PRESS RELEASE
TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL
23rd January, 2019
PETITION FOR THE REMOVAL AND ARREST OF THE VOLTA REGIONAL COMMANDER DCOP FRANCIS EBENEZER DOKU
We the Concerned Citizens of Volta Region first of all wish with sadness to express our deepest condolence to the Paramount Chief, Torgbe Atakora II and the Paramount Queen, Mama Ametor II of Alavanyo, and all the sub-chiefs especially the most affected one Torgbe Petekwasi IV of Alavanyo Dzogbedze for the loss of three (3) lives from your Community through a deliberate negligence of DCOP Francis Ebenezer Doku, the Volta Regional Commander of Police.
It is so sad and pathetic for your community to experience the recent tragedy that bedeviled our Ewe Land again and not any other Community but Alavanyo which we considered a calculated attempt of the Volta Regional Commander and his subordinates through their ambitious and dubious ways to make wealth.
We the Concerned Citizens of Volta Region have discovered the diabolical plans of the DCOP Francis Doku to disrepute Alavanyo before the world through his concocted inventions because he knew that the area is volatile; known to be an ethnic conflict area.
You may recall few weeks ago, to the Volta North Referenda; the Regional Commander DCOP Francis Doku quickly held a conference telling the whole world that the police have intercepted some ammunition at Alavanyo Dzogbedze which was purposely meant for causing mayhem in the referenda.
This information was completely false but he forcefully arrested some youth, extorted GHȻ20.000.00 from them and released them. The Chiefs and opinion Leaders and the youth of the community just let go in that matter to avoid court issues which will consume their precious time.
However, an investigation revealed that the Volta Regional Commander came to Alavanyo Dzogbedze purposely to check on their illegal “wee cultivation” in the land of Dzogbedze. He only used his position to and money to lure some of the youth into Wee Cultivation.
One may ask, how could a whole Regional Commander of the country’s Law enforcement Agency (The Ghana Police Service) engage in an illegal activity?
This question leads us to the second Police Divisional Commander resident in Ashaiman who have also heavily invested in “Wee Cultivation” in Alavanyo Dzogbedze. According to investigation, it was the Police Officer from Ashaiman who invested GHȻ20, 000. 00 into the business through his brother in the person of Stephen Awana from Kpando but a disloyalty occurred in the deal and police officer called the Regional Commander of Police in the Volta Region to meet him at the farm site and he responded without reservation or hesitation these are some of the evidences that proved the regional commander’s involvement in the business.
Francis Doku did not consider the fact that the business is an illegal one nor did he listen to his conscience to exercise a bit of restrain; rather, he choose to go by his quick temper after discovering disloyalty in the deal and commanded his men to set the whole cultivation including those that do not belong to them also on fire. This character exhibited by him clearly shows that the business is a joint one between the Regional Commander and the Divisional Commander from Ashaiman while Stephen Awana is the Caretaker or Supervisor.
It is interesting to note that Francis Doku has men to send to Alavanyo Dzogbedze, commanded them to shoot and victimize the innocent civilians on the street because of “wee farm” but it was also pathetic to state that, he did not have the men to guarantee the safety of Journalists in just ended Volta North Referendum on the 27th December 2018, thus paving way for electoral malpractices.
Francis Doku allowed some wicked chiefs, and uncultured, unscrupulous and recalcitrant youth from the Volta North, to beat and maltreat anyone campaigning for “No” in the so called Oti enclave voting. All manner of inhuman and untoward activities went on in the just ended referendum at the North. To our surprise, Francis Doku was there unconcerned. and we have so many evidences to that effect but let go since no life was lost.
The Regional Commander heard the Member of Parliament in a person of Michael Gyato threatening that blood will flow should anyone campaign against the creation of the new region but the police were quiet and they really maltreated people who campaign for the ‘NO VOTE’.
Not satisfied in all these things, he rather went again to kill innocent people on the street of Alavanyo Dzogbedze and then, deceived the world again that it was through exchange of gun fire between the combined military and police force on peace keeping duty at Alavanyo and Nkunya. This too was a blatant lie.
We know that the Government will investigate the issues however, as the youth carefully considered, the manner in which the commander is behaving will not bring peace and tranquility, love and togetherness, and development to the region. It is so clear that Francis Ebenezer Doku wanted to:
- Plant a seed of confusion among us in the Region.
- Put an enmity between us and go away. Because after killing the innocent people on the street, he quickly held a press conference and again deceived the whole world showing that he is a perpetual liar and harden criminal since he knows how to concoct issues to support his claims,
- Investigations revealed that the regional commander went to Alavanyo Dzogbedze purposely to arrest the labourers that worked on their ‘wee farms’ and when he was prevented by friends of those labourers, the only alternative was to kill innocent people on the street to quench his thirst for blood taste and he succeeded too.
- Had he succeeded in making the arrest, he would have found another false allegations against them to cover himself and business partners. These are the types of law enforcement and security we have in the country the duty of which is to protect life and property and maintain Law and Order.
- We know that it is mind-boggling for someone to say that policemen are involved in “wee cultivation” which in the criminal law of this country is a first degree felony criminal act but, the police are doing even more than what has been exposed. Moreover, it is the same police that go to the street to arrest ‘wee smokers’. This is hypocrisy
Now, three men in the mortuary rendered eleven (11) children fatherless, three (3) helpless widows. Who will cater for them?
Considering these and other negligence and misconducts of the Francis Ebenezer Doku, his stay in the region is contrary to the police profession and code of ethics of the labours Law of the land. Based on these, the Concerned Citizens of Volta Region wish to state that, DCOP Francis Ebenezer Doku must not only be removed as the Police Commander in the Volta Region, with immediate effect but must also be prosecuted for the crime he committed. Abuse of state power and murder of innocents. We are not satisfied with his performance and we can no longer trust him.
We also wish to state that everything concerning “Wee” is a criminal offence and the security Agencies (Police) are mandated by Law to effect arrest and prosecute the offenders to court of competent jurisdiction for the law to take its cause so, Francis Doku and his business partners must be arrested awaiting the report from the independent investigative board for the next plan of action.
Surprisingly, the Inspector General of Police has transferred the Volta Regional Commander Francis Doku from the region on the 21st January 2019. We don’t know the bases on which he was transferred since the human lives are concerned. For heaven sake, the IGP could have allowed the Law to take its cause to that effect. We don’t know what he was trying to portray. We the Concerned Citizens of Volta Region want justice to our beloved lost souls.
Because, all allegations leveled against the Regional Commander, were not taken into consideration, even nothing has been communicated to the Chiefs of the affected community, just suddenly to hear that, the perpetrator of these numerous crimes have been transferred. We wonder how the IGP expect us to understand him in these issues so, we want him to come and tell Ghanaians the reasons why Francis Doku has been transferred unceremoniously, because, we also, do not want to carry out wrong perceptions about this unfortunate incidence or have a wrong impression his tranfer.
We hope that His Excellency: NANA ADDO DANQUAH AKUFO ADDO is a listening President and Human Right Activist so, for the sake of peace and tranquility, human dignity and respect for one another, in the region, the Volta regional police Commander must be removed and prosecuted with immediate effect.
Thank you all.
Daniel Yevugah (0200308542)
Concerned Citizens of Volta Region, Ghana
Seth Mifetu (+13472136348)
Concerned Citizens of Volta Region, Diaspora
DISTRIBUTION:
HIS EXCELLENCY NANA ADDO DANQUAH AKUFO ADDO
THE PRESIDENT OF TH REPUBLIC OF GHANA
ALL MEDIA HOUSES, HOME & ABROAD
Cc.
- THE RT. HON SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT
OFFICE OF PARLIAMENT
PARLIAMENT HOUSE
ACCRA
- HER LADYSHIP THE CHIEF JUSTICE
JUDICIAL SERVICE
ACCRA
- TOGBUI APEDE XIV
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS
ACCRA
- TORGBE ATAKORA
PARAMOUNT CHIEF OF ALAVANYO TRADITIONAL AREA
- MAMA AMETOR II
PARAMOUNT QUEEN OF ALAVANYO TRADITIONAL AREA
- INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE (IGP)
ACCRA
- TORGBE APEDE XIV
AGBOGBOMEFIA OF ASORGLI STATE
Ho V/R
- THE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF
GHANA ARMED FORCES, BURMA CAMP
ACCRA.
- THE PRESIDENT,
NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL,
ACCRA
- THE COUNTRY DIRECTOR,
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL,
ACCRA
- THE PRESIDENT
VOLTA REGIONAL PEACE COUNCIL,
HO V/R.
- THE PRESIDENT
VOLTA REGIONAL HOUSE OF CHIEFS
HO V/R
13. VOLTA REGIONAL MINISTER
HO V/R.
- TORGBUI SRI III OF ANLO
ANLOGA V/R
- AWADADA AGBESI AWUSU II
ANLO, ANLOGA V/R
- THE MUNICIPAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE
HOHOE MUNICIPAL
HOHOE V/R.
- DOGBUI DALLA III
ANLO, TSIAME V/R.
What do you think about this piece? Share your comment in the comment thread and share the story using the social media buttons above. You may reach the editor on 0249579664. Thank you.