SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
1. Collection of amounts from financial controller, Lt Col M Tahiru (GH/2392) by Colonel COA Nutakor (GH/2392) in April 2010
a. Amounts collected:
(1) Amounts for Directing Staff/General Staff -$3000.00
(2) Accountable Imprest for Benin group -$5000.00
(3) Amount given to Commanding Officer/Deputy -$2000.00
Adjutant and Quartermaster General (CO/DAAQMG),
Lt Col RA Salifu (GH/1966)
(4) Amount of $3000.00 kept by Col COA Nutakor.
b. Complaint by two leading members of the group for Benin:
(1) Lt Col AY Nsiah (GH/2277) -Directing Staff Member at Army Faculty.
(2) Lt Col DYA Nyarko (GH/2425)
c. The two officers approached Col Nutakor to demand the $3000.00 allocated to the Benin Group as accountable imprest but deducted from the amount of $5000.00 by Col Nutakor.
d. Col COA Nutakor explains that the amount was meant for “administration” and similar deductions had been made by leaders of other Groups.
e. The two officers not satisfied with explanations given by Col Nutakor report issue to Director of Studies (DOS), Col S Yanyi-Akofur (GH/1834).
f. Col S Yanyi-Akofur asks that the two officers to report the matters to the Deputy Commandant, Brigadier General HWK Agbenuzah (GH/1565).
g. Brigadier General HWK Agbenuzah tells the two officers to go and that he would call them later.
h. Col COA Nutakor tells Brig Gen Hope Agbenuzah that the two officers wanted to collect the amount of $3000.00 and share among themselves instead of using it for the benefit of the entire Benin Group.
i. Consequently, Brig Gen Agbenuzah informs the Commandant, Major General Kwesi Yankson (GH/1339), of the false explanation given by Col Nutakor.
j. Commandant calls the two officers and the truth comes out that Col Nutakor has kept the amount of $3000.00 and the two officers were justified in demanding it.
k. Commandant gives the amount of $3000 to the Group Leader for Benin but failed to make Col Nutakor refund it.
l. Group leaves by road for Benin using the Buses of the College. This was the only group that traveled by road and not by air. Therefore, the group needed more funds as accountable imprest as they could be called upon to service, maintain and repair the vehicles in addition to catering for the needs of the group in terms of gifts, refreshment and other activities of welfare.
m. A very important member of the group was Lt Col JOB Kuseh (GH/2265) who very fluent French owing to his two year Military Academy Training in Burkina Faso.
n. Lt Col Kuseh exploited his prior knowledge of some very senior Beninois officers to advantage and that enabled the group to have some assistance from their hosts in the form of food, refreshment, use of military facilities and personnel.
o. It appears apparent that Col Nutakor did not join the group for the visit to Benin and yet collected the amount of $3000 meant for participants. Once Col Nutakor opted to stay in Ghana and did not participate in the visit, he should have refunded the amount to the financial controller.
p. the money used for the trips are public funds and have to be accounted for. Since Col Nutakor did not undertake the trip, he must be made to refund it otherwise a financial loss would have been caused to the state by the Commandant and the Deputy Commandant of the College.
EMERGENCY MEETINGS
• After information reached the press, Brig Gen Agbenuzah called an emergency meeting and intimated that very sensitive and confidential matters concerning the College had been leaked to the press.
• He appealed to officers of the College to keep confidential and other matters of the College out of reach of the press.
• On Friday 18th June 2010 after the publication on the Ghana Web, a circular was issued in the College indicating that the Commandant would be holding an emergency on Friday 18th June 2010 at 1300hrs at the Ankrah Hall
• The meeting however took place at the Ankrah Hall at 1400hrs and lasted for about thirty (30) minutes.
• The Commandant deplored the conduct of an officer or officers behind the publication. The Commandant suspected that some members of the Directing staff had reported the issues raised in the publication to the pressman.
• The Commandant appealed to the officers to unite and work as a team. He continued by saying that matters concerning the College should remain at the College.
More anon !
