Emmanuel Ajarfor
There is a new twist to
the cybercrime case in which two staffers of Modern Ghana – an online portal –
were arrested by National Security operatives last week, sparking heated
debate.
The Criminal
Investigations Department (CID) has reportedly identified and invited a third
suspect to assist the law enforcement agency in the ongoing investigation.
The third suspect (name
withheld for investigation reasons) is a staff member of a popular radio
station in Accra.
Emmanuel Ajarfor Abugri
and Emmanuel Britwum were arrested in Accra after National Security operatives
closed in on them for allegedly engaging in inappropriate cybercrime
activities.
Their arrests and the
accompanying debate which has taken on a political garb have engaged the public
space in the past few days especially after Emmanuel Ajarofor’s claim of
torture at the hands of their captors.
Medical
Examination
Emmanuel Ajarfor has been
referred to hospital for medical examination to authenticate his claim that he
was subjected to an assortment of torture including elbowing and electric
shocks.
Nat.
Sec. Statement
However, a statement from
the National Security Council Secretariat rubbished the claim of the suspect and
stated that the suspect upon being handed over to the Criminal Investigations
Department (CID) was quickly referred for medical examination.
“We are confident that the
results of the medical examination will present the truth in the matter, so as
to inform the appropriate steps to be taken,” the statement assured Ghanaians.
In a statement dated July
1, the National Security Council Secretariat stated emphatically that the two
were arrested for cybercrime activities and took a strong view of the torture
claims of Ajarfor.
“The secretariat takes a
very serious view of these claims, and wishes to state, in no uncertain terms,
that these allegations are false,” the statement said.
The secretariat explained
that the suspects’ claims are “a clear and deliberate attempt by the suspect to
discredit the investigations and the case against them. Torture and manhandling
of suspects are not part and parcel of the culture and architecture of the
secretariat under the administration of President Akufo-Addo.”
“The suspect, during
questioning, was never manhandled, neither was he subjected to any form of
forced physical contact,” the statement added.
NDC Joinder
The opposition National
Democratic Congress (NDC) in the ensuing debate has mounted a campaign against
the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, demanding that he resigns
from his position over the unverified torture allegation.
The National
Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, author of previous
propaganda-laced statements, pointed out that the minister should resign from
his position because one of the suspects claimed he was tortured while in the
detention of the BNI.
Interestingly, Emmanuel
Ajarfor’s claim that their interrogators did not pose questions about
cybercrime is contrary to the statement from the National Secretariat which
differs from the suspect disclosure as it pointed out that they were arrested
because of cybercrime.
Unsubstantiated
Charges
It is amazing why the NDC
in the statement would link the murder of Ahmed Suale who was one of Anas Aremeyaw
Anas’ private investigators to the ruling party as Sammy Gyamfi did in the
statement.
“The NDC hereby calls on Albert Kan Dapaah to immediately resign as National Security Minister or be suspended by the President, to allow for a full-scale investigation into allegations of torture of the journalists. We submit that all those found culpable must be dealt with in accordance with law,” the NDC statement stressed.
By A.R. Gomda
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