One of the greatest concerns of the Patriotic
Concerned Officers and Men (PACOM) of the Ghana Armed Forces is about the
allocation of vacancies to Units, Formations, Commands, Bases, Services
Headquarters, General Headquarters, Departments, Directorates, Offices and
Staff Officers for peacekeeping operations.
Reliable information in the custody of PACOM and
forwarded to the DAYBREAK newspaper indicates that very senior officers in the
military have turned the allocation of
vacancies for peacekeeping operations into a goldmine from which they
are excavating several thousands of American Dollars.
The allegation is so stinking and reprehensible that
Major Generals OB Akwa and WA Ayamdo must put their feet down, act swiftly,
immediately and urgently in order to avoid any form of mutiny in the military.
The allegation is that each time vacancies are given
by the United Nations for the various Mission Areas of peace support
operations, according to the Order of Battle (ORBAT), some of the staff
officers at Army Headquarters, other Service Headquarters, General
Headquarters, Formation Headquarters, Command Headquarters, Base Headquarters,
Unit Headquarters, Departments and Directorates sell some of the vacancies to
poor soldiers who are desperate to go on
peace support operations in order to improve upon their economic circumstances.
Investigations conducted by DAYBREAK have revealed
that some vacancies are either reserved for these staff officers or are added
to the regular allocation with the explanation that the additional vacancies
are meant for specified Staff Officers, Director Generals, Directors,
Commanding Officers or Officer Commanding or these Staff Officers give the
names directly to the Director Army Peacekeeping Operations (DAPKOP) who
releases them subsequently to the individual soldiers concerned.
The Staff Officers then charge these poor soldiers
between $2,000 and $3,000 per soldier per an operation.
Some of the staff officers are allocated as many as
six (6) vacancies for each operational area. Thus, one staff officer may get as
many as twenty-four vacancies (six times four) for four operational areas in a
year.
A conservative calculation shows that such a staff
officer would receive a minimum of $42,000 per annum and as high as $72, 0000
per annum.
The number of
operations concerned is given as follows: Labanon (UNIFIL), Congo (MONUSCO),
Southern Sudan (UNMISS), Liberia (UNMIL), Cote d’Ivoire (UNOCI), Mali (MINUSMA)
and United Nations Military Observer Missions (MILOBS) or Staff Officers.
At the peak of the peace keeping operations by
formed troops, Ghana could boast of about six Mission Areas between 2010 and
2015. Additionally, Ghanaian officers were selected for United Nations Observer
Military Missions (MILOBs) or Staff Officers in various countries around the
world.
Thus, at the peak of the External Peace Support
Operations, the Staff Officers in charge of allocating vacancies or to whom
certain vacancies had been allocated could “earn” as much as $108,000 ($3,000x
6 persons x 6 operational areas) or a minimum of $72,000 ($2,000 x 6 persons x
6 operational areas) per annum while in Ghana without participating in any of
the operations themselves.
This practice which has been on-going for some years
now with impunity amounts to “slavery or servitude” in the Ghana Armed Forces.
It is so sad that this inhuman treatment is being meted
out to poor soldiers by their superiors who are Brigadier Generals, Colonels,
Lieutenant Colonels, Majors and their equivalents or Chief Warrant Officers.
The allegation is that these officers either make
the offer to the soldiers or the soldiers who are aware of the “facility” go to
these staff officers or appointment holders to negotiate for these vacancies at
the pre-arranged prices ranging between $2,000 and $3,000 depending on the
Mission Area, period (duration) and whether it is formed troops peace support
operation or Military Observer Mission.
In course of our investigations, it came to light
that the main architects of this inhuman, irresponsible, insensitive and
reprehensible practice are the Directors Army Peacekeeping Operations (DAPKOP)
and Army Secretaries at Army Headquarters and some Commanding Officers of some
Battalions and Regiments. The names of some Director Generals and Directors
also featured prominently.
An assessment of the pieces of evidence
showed that the names of two Colonels who were DAPKOPs and Army Secretaries
respectively between 2013 and early part of 2016 were synonymous to the
practice of offering peacekeeping vacancies to officers and men for a “fee” or
“charge”.
The officers allegedly linked to this practice are
Colonel JK Akou-Adjei (GH/2268) and now Brigadier General NK Kporku (GH/2163).
Colonel JK Akou-Adjei was the Army Secretary between
20th December 2012 and 7th April 2016 when he recommended
himself for Course Overseas in the United States of America and left the shores
of Ghana.
Then Colonel (and now Brigadier General) NK Kporku
was appointed Director Army Peacekeeping Operations on 26th April
2013 and remained so until 1st July 2016 when he was appointed
Director General Joint Operations at the General Headquarters and promoted
Brigadier General.
The allegations have it that then Colonel NK Kporku
reserved at least six (6) vacancies on each operation for the then most
powerful Army Secretary, Colonel JK Akou-Adjei for his “administration”.
Others beneficiaries allegedly included Colonel LK
Gbetanu, then Commanding Officer 5 Battalion, Brigadier General AK Adu then
Director Military Records and Colonel RJK Komlaga, Deputy Director Defence
Intelligence (DI).
The allegation have it that several “friends” at the
Army Headquarters, Naval Headquarters, Airforce Headquarters, General
Headquarters, Command Headquarters, Formation Headquarters, Base Headquarters,
Commanding Officers and Officers Commanding units and sub-units respectively
benefitted from the “vacancy allocations”.
Colonel NK Kporku is alleged to have also kept some
“reserves” (vacancies) at the DAPKOP’s office which were also issued out along
the same terms as or more favorable terms than those offered by Colonel JK
Akou-Adjei.
Additionally Colonel JK Akou-Adjei is alleged to
have offered Military Observer Missions (MILOBS)/Staff Officers’ vacancies to
some Commissioned Officers for similar or higher “fees” or “charges”.
Some of the officers and men who were “victims” of
these acts of “slavery or servitude” and were interviewed by our sources
claimed that they had become desperate and needed urgently those operations to
“survive” and/or to “avoid very shameful embarrassment in their economic
circumstances”.
According to some of these victims, they needed the
dollars to care for their families and also to undertake various projects. They
were therefore willing and prepared to forgo about one-third or one-quarter of
their “Earned Dollar” to their benefactors (Colonels Kporku and Akou-Adjei in
particular) in order to make ends meet.
Most of these “victims” claimed that they did not
have any reliable persons to lean on in order to get these operations. They
intimated that accepting those terms (parting with between $2,000 or $3,000)
enabled them to jump the queue of non-participants or seniority of
participants. Thus, these officers and men (victims of slavery or servitude by
then Colonels Kporku and Akou-Adjei) did not consider the immoral and
unprofessional aspects of the “contract of servitude” but were rather grateful
to these vampires.
Most of them said the Animal farm situation that had
been created in the barracks by the NDC administration of John Mills and John
Mahama pushed them to accept those “contracts of slavery” as the alternative
was living in poverty and disgrace while the NDC favoured ones lived in
opulence and extravagance in and outside the barracks.
Notwithstanding the fact that most of the victims
entered into these contracts of slavery or servitude out of their own volition,
PACOM and this paper feel strongly that the alleged conduct of all the officers
involved is unacceptable, shameful and prejudicial to good order and discipline
contrary to Section 54 of the Armed Forces Act, 1962, Act 105.
Again, the conduct of those officers, especially
Colonel JK Akou-Adjei and Brigadier General NK Kporku, if proven to be true,
would be scandalous and wicked and would constitute offences under Section 32
of the Armed Forces Act, 1962, Act 105.
In fairness to the two “principal suspects” in the
alleged “Earned Dollar Sharing Agreement between staff officers and servants of
Peacekeeping Operations”, PACOM is demanding an impartial inquiry into the
allegation.
PACOM is aware that one of the principal characters
in the alleged scandal-Colonel JK Akou-Adjei- is on course in the USA and may
have to return to Ghana before a full scale inquiry by way of a Board of
Inquiry could be instituted into the allegations. However, in order to avoid
the continuity of that practice, the current Chief of Army Staff, Major General
WA Ayamdo and the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General OB Akwa, the immediate
past COAS, are humbly requested to put mechanisms in place immediately to protect
the pieces of evidence that may be available at the office of the DAPKOP at
Army Headquarters.
Furthermore, the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief
of Defence Staff are humbly requested to streamline the allocation of vacancies
for peacekeeping operations such that those “abuses” by staff officers for
pecuniary purposes and interest are eschewed.
The Chief of Army Staff, the Chief Staff Officer at
Army Headquarters and the Chief of Defence Staff are please requested to take
special interest in the ORBAT of every operation, vacancies allocated to
Services, Formations, Commands, Bases, Units, Departments, Directorates and
offices (i.e. Forces Sergeant Major’s Office).
Furthermore, the Department of Defence Intelligence
needs to be re-organized to reflect the current political realities in order to
make it more effective, purposeful and relevant.
The previous NDC Administration had deliberately
removed all professional “intelligence officers” who were either neutral or
suspected to be sympathetic to the NPP or were seen to have been posted to the
Department of Defence Intelligence during the regime of President JA Kufuor.
In the places of these professionally upright
“Intelligence Officers” such as Brigadier General T Oppong-Peprah and Colonel
Agyemang Prempeh, the following officers with the NDC Umbrella on their heads
were made to inundate the Department of Defence Intelligence: Colonel RJK
Komlaga (GH/2497)-DDG, Colonel Mohammed Mustapha (GH/2426)-Course Overseas,
Colonel Twum Ampofo Gyekye (GH/2436)-D CINT, Colonel Isaac Nicholas Paintsil
(GH/2560)- D Trg, Colonel Fuseini Salifu (GH/2638)- D CINT, Lieutenant Colonel
Mark Ebenezer Alo (GH/2824)- DD OPINT, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Kelvin
Merdiemah (GH/2898) DD CINT, Lieutenant Colonel Elikem Korku Fiamavle
(GH/2926)-DD DIT, Major Richard Komla Nyamador (GH/3051) AD CINT, Squadron
Leader Mark Kizito Adelibam (GH/3092) AD DIT, Lieutenant Commander Paul Vuoche
Aatara (GH/3492) AD OPINT and Major BA Khemchand (GH/3219) OC 5DDI
It is obvious that the above-named “Umbrella
officers” have been positioned strategically and tactically to serve the
interest of the NDC. They are real moles and would thwart all efforts to “clean
the system” as the “purgatives” will affect the “NDC eaglets” sitting on the
umbrella. But that should be expected when the previous NDC Administration
deliberately adopted a divide and rule policy by giving appointments to their
favorites, cronies and kinsmen. They had also anticipated that there could be a
change in government but would remain in “effective power” owing to the
strategic and tactical appointment that they reserved for themselves.
As matters stand now, no action can be taken against
the “NDC current and former appointees” in the Armed Forces. The likes of
Colonel JK Akou-Adjei, Brigadier General NK Kporku and Air Commodore IR Wayoe
would walk away free with the NDC Service Commanders, Chief of Staff, Director
Generals and Directors still in firm control of affairs.
It is extremely sad that persons previously
considered to be enemies of the NDC (because they were suspected to be NPP
sympathizers) in the barracks and were victimized, humiliated, harassed and
dehumanized are still at the mercy of these wicked, vicious and callous
appointment holders.
Rather sadly also, there are some so called NPP
office holders who are more than prepared to protect the “NDC gurus” in the
barracks at the expense and to the detriment of ever poor, vulnerable and
unprotected “NPP faithfuls” in the barracks. Eh, hmm, Asem beba o!
PACOM wants the allegation of “dollar extortion” by
the former Army Secretary and Director Army Peacekeeping Operations to be fully
investigated. Even though attempts may be made by the “suspects” to interfere
with and pervert the course of justice, PACOM is convinced that if there is the
good will and determination to “uproot this canker”, the relevant documentary
pieces of evidence could be found.
Witnesses, who were victims of the scandalous
practice, may fear to appear to give information voluntarily because of
possible victimization thereafter by members of the cabal and mafia.
But it cannot be business as usual, oooo!!!
