‘There are still pending threats from the secessionists’ – Oppong Nkrumah

General news for Monday, September 28, 2020

Source: 3 News

2020-09-28

Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah admits that there are still immediate threats posed by the secessionist group Western Togoland Restoration Front.

Speaking on TV3’s New Day on Monday, September 28, Oppong Nkrumah said the state takes the group’s action seriously and will deal with them “promptly”.

Last Friday, activists calling for the secession of western Togo from Ghana attacked key facilities and blocked roads in Juapong, in the Volta region, apparently to declare independence.

But their activities were thwarted by a joint operation by state security agencies with 31 initially arrested and flown to Accra.

Since then, four more have been arrested, 3news.com has gathered.

One person was reportedly killed in the crossfire.

A police commander stationed in Aveyime-Battor, North Tongu district, was captured by the attackers and nine pellets removed from his legs, according to Oppong Nkrumah.

A middle-aged man believed to be a member of the separatist group attempted to seize the Akuse Dam.

Tight security measures were put in place at the Kpong power plant after a suspected secessionist seized the facilities.

Speaking on the issues, the member of parliament for the Ofoase Ayirebi constituency denied claims that security failed to obtain intelligence on the group’s activities.

“The government is very committed to ensuring that immediate threats are addressed,” he announced.

“There are still pending threats even as I speak to you this morning,” opened up to host Johnnie Hughes.

“They are making sure that these threats do not materialize.

“Later, permanently, [they] will act to deal with the activities of these people who first made these unjustifiable claims and secondly misled other people with these claims. “

But defying the claims made by the Information Minister, Adaklu Governs MP Kwame Agbodza said the Information Minister’s knowledge of the matter is limited.

“I am not convinced for a minute of what he said,” he stressed.

He indicated that his voters had hinted to him on Thursday that a group was embarking on a procession in the town and the security agencies were called but his comb did not find these armed men.

“This group was fully armed more than the police to the point that they went to the Aveyime police station, dominated the police, opened the armory, took out AK-47s, 19 of them told us, they went to another place, they did the same Thing, they stripped the policemen naked, left them in their underpants, made them march and locked them back in the cells and went to the side of the road and asked the dump trucks to dump sand on the road, they set up barricades and the minister tells me who are on top of security? “