Make Okobeng an example to powerful people who break the law with impunity – DACG
Think tank, Data and Advocacy Consult, Ghana, has called on the Ghana Police Service to make of Nana Amponsah, Chief Executive Officer of the Okobeng Mining Company, a cautionary tale to rich and powerful people who break the law with impunity.
This comes in the wake of the arrest and charge of Nana Ampnsah for allegedly conspiring to murder two of his business rivals in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.
Nana Amponsah was arrested in January after audio recordings of an alleged conversation between him and a contract killer were leaked to the police.
In the said audio he is alleged to have ordered for the murder of two other small scale miners in the area; Emma and Adjei Ben, who were supposedly encroaching on his mining concession.
Their murder was to serve as a deterrent to other small scale miners in the area who might try to encroach on his concession.
In excerpts of the said recording as transcribed by The Anchor, the contract killer and Nana Amponsah had allegedly planned the shooting of the two.
“Today, if you don’t hear anything from me, do whatever you want to me. So today, Adjei Ben, we shall deal with him,” the contract killer said.
Nana then said, “Because Adjei Ben and Emma, those two if even one is killed, the rest will be steady. Even if the two are eliminated, the rest will not even attempt to go into the mining sites. They will come to terms with the fact that there is danger somewhere.
“Yesterday, I heard he went to site. They had a meeting that they will frustrate me till I become helpless…….Monitor that Emma to find out wherever he is”.
According to Data and Advocacy Consult, Ghana, such horrendous behavior should be discouraged especially among the rich and powerful who may feel they are above the law.
The group has thus called for the full rigors of the law to take its course and ensure that justice is served.
“That the laws as stated or recommended by the 1992 constitution do not discriminate against persons or give exclusive privileges to a person or group of persons who are affluent or wield political power of any divide over a person or group of persons to commit criminal offences with impunity,” they said.
They added that his prosecution and subsequent incarceration, should he be found guilty, would serve as a strong deterrent to others that may seek to tow the same line of action.
“That this will serve as a deterrent to person or group of persons who assume or are of the fervent conviction that they could commit any criminal offence and use money or political power to influence or compromise the carriage of justice, probity and accountability,” they said.
This they say will repose the confidence of the people in the Police Service and other law enforcing state agencies as this will communicate the state institutions’ commitment to ensuring that the safety and constitutional rights of the people are protected.
They finally called on the Inspector General of Police to “take keen interest in this matter to ensure the promotion of justice and the continued fight against crime and humanity for service to mankind is service to God and country.”
Meanwhile, Nana Amponsah will be reappearing in court today, March 17.
Source: Ghana News
