Bugri Naabu Spills The Beans

…Names Snr Police Officers Plotting IGP’s Removal 

A former Northern Regional chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu, has bared it all before the Speaker Alban Bagbin-constituted ad-hoc seven-member committee tasked to look into an audio recording of three police officers plotting the removal of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare.

Without mincing words, the controversial politician revealed everything on the secret tape recording, which got leaked last month, saying it was authentic.

Singing like a canary bird, Bugri Naabu identified the three police officers mentioned in the tape as Commander Asare, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mensah, “who is on leave now,” and Superintendent Gyebi, said to be stationed at the national police headquarters in Accra.

This came to light when Mr. Bugri Naabu appeared before the committee yesterday, August 28, as its first witness.

He was supposed to appear before the committee, chaired by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, last Thursday, August 24, 2023, but he called in sick, hence his appearance yesterday.

According to the influential NPP bigwig, the motive of the three officers, who are also slated to appear before the committee, was basically to push for the removal of the police chief for their preferred IGP.

Apparently, the now exposed officers told the politician that the IGP, instead of doing the bidding of the governing party, rather enjoys favours from former President and flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama.

According to Bugri Naabu, the officers told him the IGP was on the side of Mr. Mahama and he had even granted him 300 slots for police recruitment, and also done same for the wife of late vice president, the former second lady, believed to be Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur, who was allegedly given 50 slots.

The top police officers were also convinced that if Dr.Dampare is allowed to continue at post, the NPP’s “Break the Eight” mantra will remain a mirage.

Bugri Naabu said this narration put so much fear in him that he had to call the Interior minister, Ambrose Dery, to verify them, but the minister did not pick up his call. He told the committee the claims by the officers were so wild that it made his “anus shake.”

He went on, “He [Commander Asare] said he wanted to come and see me and let me talk to the President about the current IGP because he is not NPP and that will be difficult for us going into the 2024 elections, and so I told him that I will verify the claims myself before telling the President because I didn’t want to say something that is not true.”

He added: “He [Commander Asare] even told me that if we let the IGP go to Assin North, we would lose the by-election and I was scared. He told me that with ten days to the by-election, with the IGP there, we would end up with nothing, so I started talking to people in the police to verify the claims. I even called the Interior minister, and he did not pick up my call.”

Accompanied by two lawyers, Bugri Naabu also disclosed that he intentionally recorded the conversation with an intent to share with President Akufo-Addo unedited.

“The reason for recording this tape is that they are coming to tell me to go and tell the President something…and it is either I don’t go to tell the President and then I and my party suffer for it and if I also go to talk to the President, it is good to tell him the right thing and since I cannot keep everything they were telling me at that point, it was very good to record, and I know the President, [if] I go and tell him something, and it turns not to be true, next time he won’t give me respect,” he said.

He also said the audio recording, which got leaked in July 2023, was shared with President Akufo-Addo alone, after acquiring the gadget at the Accra Mall and recording the conversation at his office, near the Osu police station in Accra.

He also revealed that he hired an unnamed person to record the conversation on the leaked tape.

“I didn’t do it myself but I requested somebody who knows how to do the recording to come and do it for me. I didn’t use a phone. I went to the mall and got this ordinary tape,” he said.

He also revealed to the committee that his life has been in danger since the leakage of the tape, but denied being behind its leakage.

According to him, the only person he shared the tape with was President Akufo-Addo, but he, on the other hand upon getting hold of it, also subsequently handed the content to the police for investigation, following which it was leaked to the public last month.

Bugri Naabu said that when he heard about the leakage, he quickly tried calling Commissioner Asare, one of the officers in the tape, but he banged the phone on him and all effort to reach the senior officer proved futile.

He told the committee that since the officer refused to pick his call, his life has been threatened by Commissioner Asare.

He said the son of Commissioner Asare called his, Bugri Naabu’s, son, threatening “they will deal with me.”

The NPP heavyweight also shockingly disclosed that when the officers visited him to use him as a conduit for the removal of the IGP, he directed them to consult a “Mallam,” instead of using him.

According to the controversial politician, his conviction that God has a hand in choosing leaders pushed him to give that advice.

But what has shocked many is why the former regional chairman of the NPP, who by name is a Christian, will direct the senior police officers to visit a Muslim spiritual leader and not a pastor.

In July, this year, the content of the leaked tape generated a national discussion due to its explosive nature.

This pushed Speaker Bagbin to put together the committee, chaired by the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta-Akyea, to among others authenticate the tape and its content and make the necessary recommendations.

But before appearing at the committee yesterday, Bugri Naabu had granted an interview to Kumasi-based Oyerepa Television, where he admitted the authenticity of the tape.

This, according to the deputy chair of the committee, James Agalga, made their work even easier.

Source:Anchorghana.com