Agyarko Deserved Sack – Justice Short

Fmr. CHRAJ Boss, Justice Emile Short 

In attempt to winning the fight against corruption in this current administration, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday 6^th August, dismissed the Energy Minister Mr. Boakye Agyarko to satisfy the public’s outcry on his actions relating to the renegotiation of AMERI Power agreement.

It is in view of this that the former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Justice Emile Short waved into the matter relating to the dismissal of the Minister for Energy, saying the minister did not do his work properly and that he deserved the sacking. He further praised the president for his swift action in the process.     

On Monday, August 6^th, the President, Nana Akufo Addo relieved Mr. Boakye Agyarko from his post with immediate effect. Though no official reason was given in the release, it is widely known that it was as a result of the controversial renegotiation agreement between the Energy Minister and AEMRI Power Group where the president had earlier mentioned that he was misled.   

Adding to this development, Justice Short stated that the fact that Mr. Agyarko misled the president meant that the Energy Minister failed to do his work properly as expected of him.   

“Yes sure [he deserved the sacking], because to the extent that he has misled the president, he has to accept that he hasn’t done his work properly. It’s unfortunate because he appears to be energetic person, but this is a serious matter and there are so many institutions and individuals calling for his sack. That is what the president has done”, he told The Manual. 

Justice Short further stated that the president cannot read every document that is brought before him and that he relies on his ministers and advisers for onward approval and advice. He opined that his dismissal will send a strong signal to all ministers to be weary of their actions in matters relating to their work.

“Everybody was calling for him to be dismissed. The president cannot read every document. He has to rely on his ministers and advisers. So if he was misled by the Minister for Energy, he [Boakye Agyarko] has to be held responsible. The fact that he has been sacked will be a deterrent to other ministers and they will do more due diligence”, Justice Short, who was once a former judge for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda mentioned.

Following his dismissal, the president has asked Mr. Boakye Agyarko to hand over his office to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Mr. John Peter Amewu who will act temporarily as the Minister for Energy until a substantive appointment is made.

Group Urged Ghana to Pass International Criminal Court Bill

Justice Emile Short, Fmr. Commissioner for CHRAJ

Human Rights advocates and Civil Society Groups are urging Ghana to pass the International Criminal Court Bill, which Ghana ratified in 1999 and came into effect in 2002, in order to deal with criminal cases in the country should the need arises.

This came to the lime light during a discussion commemorating the 20^th Anniversary of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which also coincided with the 20^th Anniversary of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in a debate held at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra. 

The debate was on the theme, Twenty years of the ICC: The Hits, Misses and Prospects for Pursuing Justice for Victims of Atrocity Crimes.  

A member of the experts panel, Justice Emile Short, who is also a former judge for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, stated it is important the society puts pressure on the government to pass the International Criminal Court Bill to satisfy the provision of the Rome Statute.

He noted that it is eminent because the cases that sent some countries into war and conflicts arose from electoral disputes

“It is important the society puts pressure on government to pass the legislation of the International Criminal Court Bill and to take steps to reciprocate the Rome Statute and also develop our national criminal justice system to be prepared to deal with such cases”, Justice Short said.

He further mentioned that it is imperative to be proactive rather than being reactive in dealing with criminal matters in the sense that the issues that sent countries like Kenya and Ivory Coast into conflicts arose from electoral disputes. 

He mentioned that such cases can also occur in the country.

“We must never think that it [electoral conflicts] would not happen in Ghana. Nobody thought it could occur in Ivory Coast and Kenya. In Kenya and Ivory Coast, conflicts arose from elections. So it is a remote possibility that conflicts that occurred in Kenya and Ivory Coast, which gave rise to commissions of atrocities can apply and occur in Ghana”, the former judge mentioned.

Justice Short stressed it is not surprising that the ICC is dealing with cases relating to Africa because the African continent is a host to so many conflicts that affect many lives and properties and it is vital that Africa supports the ICC in giving justice to victims of criminal atrocities.

The Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) also shared similar views during the debate. 

Its Executive Director, Mr. William Nyarko mentioned that Ghana was one of the first to adopt the Rome Statute in 1999 and under the statute, once there is ratification, there should be domestication of the international law.

“Under the Rome Statute, once there is ratification, the state must have a local law to back its implementation. When a crime [one that the national court is unable or unwilling to handle] happens in Ghana that the ICC wants to prosecute, we do not have to send a Ghanaian to The Hague. The ICC can sit here and deal with the matter”, ACILA Boss stated.

Asked why Ghana has since not ratified the Rome Statute, the Executive Director insisted that there has not been the demand for it's implementation by the populace and that politicians are only focusing on what they feel the people want.

In the opening remarks by the Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Mr. Henry Prempeh, shared same sentiment and echoed for the state to take immediate steps in passing the bill 19 years after Ghana ratified. 

He stressed that Ghana must align its national laws with the Rome Statute by passing the International Criminal Court Bill.

The Rome Statute is a treaty that established the ICC. It was adopted in Rome, Italy on July 17^th, 1998 and entered into force on July 1, 2002. 

The Chairperson for the occasion was H.E. Akua Kuenyehia, former judge and first Vice President of the ICC. Among the expert panelists were Ms. Evelyn Ankumah, Executive Director, Africa Legal Aid at The Hague, H.E. Kabral Blay-Amihere, Former Ambassador TO Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast and Prof. Anne Pieter Van Der Mei, Professor of Law, Department of Public Law, Maastricht University,                        

We Are Not Promoting LGBTI Rights - ACILA

William Nyarko, ACILA Executive Director

Executive Director of Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), Mr. William Nyarko has stated that the recent release of the first ever comprehensive survey on lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and intersexual people (LGBTI) by his organization is not aimed at promoting the rights of LGBTI persons.

He, however, mentioned that the import of the survey prior to its commencement was rather to monitor Ghana’s acceptance of the recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to provide equal protection of the Law against violence and discrimination for LGBTI people.

Mr. Nyarko was speaking during a two day ACILA Capacity Building Workshop of the survey titled “Popular Attitudes Towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexual People in Ghana”, at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra on Monday July 30^th.

“We are not promoting LGBT rights and neither are we urging the media to go out there to promote their rights. What we are saying is that Ghana has ratified a UN Human Rights recommendation to provide equal protection of the law from violence and discrimination against LGBTI people in accordance with Ghana’s domestic law and International Human Rights Law obligations. This is what we are urging the state to act accordingly”, he stressed.

The survey with a sample size of 1200 respondents and probability sampling method was conducted in a number of urban and rural areas from five regions out of the ten regions from 4^th to 20^th June 2018. They were Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, Volta and Northern regions. 

Lead researcher Mr. Kojo Impraim mentioned that these five regions were chosen due to their cosmopolitan nature. This, he noted that the views of respondents represent the total views of Ghanaians.

Key issues pointed out 

The survey shows that about 60% of Ghanaians strongly disagree or disagree LGBTI people must be treated equally as heterosexuals. The same percentage of respondents are unaware that Ghana has ratified a UN recommendation to provide equal protection of the Law for LGBTI people.

On November 7, 2017, Ghana appeared before the UNHRC for a review of its human rights records under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. Though Ghana rejected the recommendations to legalize same-sex marriage or decriminalize consensual sexual relation, but accepted to provide Equal Protection of the Law from violence and discrimination against LGBTI people in accordance with Ghana’s domestic law and international human rights law obligations.  

Again, the survey showed over 80% of Ghanaians are aware of their human rights which are guaranteed in the 1992 constitution of Ghana. However, the same percentage of Ghanaians forbid LGBT people from meeting. This development, ACILA boss insisted that it is important we separate the facts that we do not want that act from abusing their basic rights such as physical abuse and homophobic statements.

He mentioned that Ghana declined to legalize same sex marriage when it met with the UN Human Rights Council in 2017, but in so far as Ghana committed itself to give equal protection against violence and discrimination for LGBTI people; this must be recognized as such.   

The survey also showed that more than 80% of Ghanaians –Moslems, Christians and Traditionalists, are very uncomfortable associating themselves with LGBT people. To add to this, the research shows that more than 97% of respondents are aware that the police has a responsibility to protect every citizen against mob injustice. It added that over 94% of Ghanaians agreed that anyone who engages in mob activity must face the law.

However, 20% of Ghanaians disagreed that the police has a responsibility to protect LGBTI people against mob injustice whereas a significant number of Ghanaians (87%) are against allowing LGBTI people holding public meetings to discuss LGBT issues.

This survey clearly shows that Ghanaians are against anything that has to do with LGBTI people and thus, demonstrated a total rejection of their activities. It also tells that if such people avail themselves as LGBT, their lives could be at risk on the basis that Ghanaians are not aware that the rights gays and lesbians must be secured and protected.  

Mr. Nyarko mentioned that no individual or institution in Ghana is pushing for the legalization of LGBT activities, but insisted their inherent basic rights of people must exist.

One interesting outcome of the survey bordered on health matters. Asked if Ghanaians would receive “emergency medical treatment” from a health practitioner perceived to be LGBTI, 67% noted their readiness to do that.

Thirty per cent of Christians, 40% of Moslems and 50% of Traditionalists mentioned they will not receive “emergency medical treatment” from a health staff perceived to be LGBTI. For instance, the result showed that 40% of Ghanaians between the ages of 51-60 years who, naturally could suffer from diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure said they will not receive emergency medical care from doctor or nurse perceived to be LGBTI.        

ACILA Releases Report on LGBT Survey

Result of survey, Source: ACILA 

Policy and Education think tank, Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) is set to release the first ever comprehensive survey on lesbianism, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).

The survey with an estimated sample size of 1,200 using random sampling procedure has produced some interesting findings and analyses which will engage the minds of the Ghanaian public in the coming weeks.

Executive Director of ACILA, Mr. William Nyarko in a discussion stated that no individual or institution is pushing for the legalization of LGBT, but insisted the basic rights of people must exist.

ACILA has already released a teaser of the survey on what the public must expect on Monday and Tuesday 30^th and 31^st July, 2018 at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra.

One critical area the research focused was on the health sector. Under this section, people’s beliefs were put into test against LGBT issues. Respondents, consisting Christians, Muslims and Traditionalists were asked if they would allow medical practitioners with the perception of being LGBT administer “emergency treatment” on them. Results from respondents were very close.

For instance, three (3) out of ten (10) Christians noted they would reject “emergency medical treatment” from a health practitioner perceived to be LGBT. In the Islamic Religion, four (4) out of (10) respondents noted they would not receive “emergency medical treatment” from a health practitioner whiles in the traditional religion, it was five apiece.

Result of Survey, Source: ACILA 

With respect to gender, four (4) out of ten (10) females were against “emergency treatment” from a health practitioner perceived to be LGBT whiles three out of ten males also shared similar views.

What this survey means is that the sexual orientation of health practitioners does not matter to the Ghanaian patient in the administering of emergency medical treatment. 

However, many of these respondents are against the recognition of LGBT rights in Ghana. 

Another area the research focused was on mob justice. A total of 98 respondents sided that it is the duty of the police to protect every individual from mob injustice. 

However, the survey showed that 72 of them stated that LGBT people should be protected from from mob injustice. 

This tells that, many Ghanaians may consult health staff perceived to be LGBT, but some respondents support mob injustice against them.     

Pollution Alert: Weija Lake Now Refuse Dump Site

Weija Lake encroached & polluted by cottage industries  

A Unit Committee Member at Weija Electoral Area in Weija Gbawe Municipality in the Greater Accra Region and some residents around Weija Lake are accusing the Asafoatse (Chief) in the area, Nii Aryee Pampamku I for polluting the lake by using a portion of land closer to the lake as refuse dump site.   

The member, who spoke to The Manual on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimized, noted that in recent times, both the military and police personnel on some occasions have been to the dumping site to warn the people engaged in the activity, but they have always returned to resume work.

This, the residents and the committee member believed there is higher political undertone that is enabling the activity to go on unstopped. 

The Manual was the area to see firsthand and noticed the level of irresponsible dumping of refuse in the lake and what we found out was jaw dropping as huge pile of refuse is dumped daily at that sensitive area despite complaints from residents living there. 

Some residents noted that it is unhealthy to use that portion of land very close to the lake as dumping site. Their worry was that should cholera outbreak hit the area, it will have adverse effects on them.

The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Wilfred Blankson noted that portion of land belongs to the Asafoatse, but the Assembly has not granted him permit to use it as refuse dump site.

Asked why the activity is still ongoing whiles the Chief does not have permit, Mr. Blankson stated that the whole problem is that the area does not have a Municipal Chief Executive (MCE). He added that with the presence of an MCE, things will be done swiftly. 

“That is a multi-million question everybody is asking. The authorities have worked on it; how to stop it, how to go about it, they invited him, he came and provided his indentures. The most important thing is that we don’t have an MCE but the assembly can do something about” the assemblyman said.

Meanwhile, he stated that the Chief had argued he had good intentions for the youths in the community, and if those intentions were true, he sees it as a “laudable idea”, but the manner its being done is the problem.

“The Asafoatse had argued that there is no major source of employment for the youth. He said the place is being used as a dumping site and afterwards the land will be filled with laterite and sealed. After this is done, they will not build on it, but panels will be installed as a company will soon come with heavy equipments to establish factory at the area. Because there are no lands in the district, he [Asafoatse] has taken it upon himself in order to assist the youth in getting jobs. If this is true, fine”, Mr. Blankso added. 

Dumping site: some refused washed into the lake 

In a sharp twist, the Assemblyman was very disappointed and expressed his outmost surprise and shock in the residents. According to him, when the activity started, he brought the press to cover the people’s plight for action to be taken. However, the residents expressed their satisfaction of the activity openly to the media.

“I took him [Asafoatse] on by reporting him to the assembly. I went to Onua FM and Citi FM; we had discussions on that issue. They were at the place with their reporters. Some residents who spoke to the media, however, stated that dumping of refuse at the area is rather helping them because since the activity began, whenever Ghana Water Company Limited spills water, it does not affect them unlike previously”.

“Therefore, the refuse dump at the area is good for them. At that time, I was there with a unit committee member and some colleagues; we were utterly shocked with their response”, he lamented.  

Several attempts have been done to contact the Chief to respond on these issues, but all efforts aimed at reaching him proved futile.

Due to the continuous pollution of the Weija Lake, the Water Resources Commission (WRC) has hinted that the Kasoa toll booth and all illegal structures, including cottage industries around the lake will soon be demolished to protect the river body.

The lake provides 3 million gallons of portable water per day. Twenty-one (21) communities and over 3 million people in Western Accra and Central Region depend on the dam.

Establish Independent Police Complaint Commission to deal with Police unprofessional conduct, ACILA Boss

William Nyarko, ACILA Executive Director

The Executive Director for policy and research think tank - Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), Mr. William Nyarko is urging President Nana Akufo-Addo to establish Independent Police Complaint Commission (IPCC) to deal with Police unprofessional conduct.

President Akufo-Addo after being briefed of an assault case of a policeman brutalizing a customer at a branch of Midland Savings and Loans in Accra coupled with the recent police shooting incident in Asawase in the Ashanti Region mentioned that government will establish a committee of inquiry to look into the events and make recommendations going forward.

It is as a result of this response the Executive Director stepped-in to advice the president that such a committee is needless and urged him to rather concentrate on the implementation of IPCC. 

“Ghana agreed to a recommendation to establish the Independent Police Complaint Commission when its human rights record was reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council in November 2017 and we should follow through and establish the Independent Police Complaint Commission (IPCC)”, Mr. Nyarko stressed.

“Mr. President respectfully we don’t need a ‘conumtea’[committee] to investigate the conduct of police officers, he jovially added.

The Executive Director further noted that instead of establishing a committee on matters like this where final reports of committees have always been left to rot on the shelves, it was important the state allows the criminal justice system to work in bringing unprofessional security personnel to the full rigorous of the law.

“We have to allow the criminal justice system to work by prosecuting these officers and if they are found guilty, they should do time in prison in accordance with due process’, Mr. Nyarko noted. 

Following the Midland Savings and Loans police brutality, the police hierarchy has interdicted the officer involved in the alleged assault case and commenced investigations into the conduct of the police officer.

The assault has resulted in many social media condemnation. Some civil society groups and individuals have come out to condemn the action and have urged stricter punishment to be taken against the policeman Federick Ammanor. 

However, the family of the policemen in an interesting twist apologized to the public and the family of the victim and stated that their relative “usually” beats up women.

WEIJA LAKE NOW REFUSE DUMP SITE: 3 Million Lives at Risk, Kasoa Toll Booth to be Relocated

Hawkers at the Kasoa Toll Booth, area now market

Government will soon give a green light for relocation of the Kasoa Toll Booth, the Manual can reveal with authority.

This is because activities of residents, hawkers and motorists around where the toll booth is located are gradually polluting the Weija Lake.

The lake serves as a source where Ghana Water Company Limited draws and treats water for over three million people in Western Accra and parts of Central Region.

The Manual has established series of human activities including dumping of both solid and liquid waste into the Lake which has now culminated the pollution of the Weija Lake in the Ga South Municipality.

Reports gathered state that the area is ecologically sensitive and it is important the toll booth is moved into a more convenient location whereas all illegal structures along the lake will be demolished in next coming weeks. This is to protect the river body which serves more than 50% of the population of Accra.

Revealing more on this development, Chief Basin Officer of Densu Secretariat of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), Dr. Ronald Abrahams said that the commission had already discussed the matter with the Ga South Municipal Assembly and will soon carry out the project.

     

“What we [WRC] have done is to consult with the Minister for Roads and Highways who is about to give his word on the removal of the toll booth because the toll booth represents some form of encroachment because at the time it was being constructed, the highways did not seek permit from the Ga South Municipal Assembly. They also did not obtain permits from the Environmental Protection Agency before embarking upon the construction of the booth”, he told the Manual. 

 “So we have actually discussed the matter with the Ga South Municipal Assembly and we are moving the toll booth a little further into an area which is not as ecologically sensitive as where it finds itself now’, he added again.

Downstream Polluted Weija Lake

According to him, a team of experts will soon engage measures to get rid of all trading and commercial activities, sale of stone chippings and all forms of activities along the lake. 

To ensure that this project is carried out successfully and maintained to its maximum best, the Densu Chief Officer noted that the area will be fenced-off to prevent encroachment because at the time of construction of the toll booth, such environmental consequences were not considered.

ADVOCACY 

With regards to education and advocacy, Dr. Abrahams noted that the Water Resources Commission has been carrying out some public advocacy on pollution and encroachment, which he noted is a major problem within the Densu Basin and especially around the Weija Lake where Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been treating water for most of the population of Accra. It was gathered that for over 10 years, the commission had engaged the people around the lake through media programmes and community durbars to sensitize them on the consequences of pollution.  

“Over the years, we have tried to carry out radio panel discussion programmes, TV programmes, community durbars and educative programmes in schools to ensure that residents living in communities along the Weija Lake do not engage in activities that pollutes the water. That has been the trend. Recently, we have tried to instill discipline into the area by clearing structures that are not supposed to be in places that we find them now”, the Chief Basin Officer added.

Asked whether the aim of the commission has been met, Dr. Abrahams said it is to some extent, but insisted that it was important not to cease working because the people they are dealing with are very ‘recalcitrant’ and would therefore have to do more to ensure discipline prevails. 

“It is not appropriate for community people to build in water ways because that is the reasons for flooding in a lot of places in Ghana and Accra in particular. We need to abide by rules and regulations or the law and ensure that people do not go about their day to day actions in disorderly manner”, he noted. 

CHALLENGES

Despite these initiatives by the commission, Dr. Abrahams added that his outfit faces some challenges in the discharge of their duties. One of the challenges he noted, is clearing of illegal structures along the Weija Lake.

He mentioned that it is important such illegal structures at the area are demolished to save the water body.  

“We have carried out some removal of unauthorized structures and this has gone on in several areas. One of the challenges that we face is clearing unauthorized structures; that is demolition the areas that are not supposed to be inhabited by the people. When you clear people after a while; when you think that understanding has come and people will not move back, they move back to the place, he stated.

  

The Manual gathered that the WRC is soliciting funds to immediately begin the second phase of the project. Cottage industries that are springing up along the banks of the lake will all be affected, it was learnt. 

The Chief Basin Officer further added that the people involved in all forms of activities have already been given warning notices and the commission had indicated to them in earlier durbar that where they are doing their businesses was not appropriate.

This according to him will amount to massive threats to the lake.

“We cannot put our fecal matter, urine and garbage in an environment next to massive water body such as what we see here. We need to instill some discipline in the residents in making sure that people do not get the chance to misbehave’’ he said.

Area very close to the dumping site 

I was bitterly disappointed in UN, ECOWAS report, Gambia massacre survivor

Martin Kyere, 2005 Gambia massacre survivor 

The only known survivor of the July 2005 massacre of over 50 migrants in Gambia has told The Manual that he felt bitterly disappointed in the joint UN and ECOWAS report issued after the team had conducted their investigations.

A team made up of UN and regional investigators from ECOWAS exonerated then President of Gambia Yahya Jammeh from being responsible in the murder of scores of migrants from Ghana and Nigeria, which reports say they were mistaken for mercenaries.

According to Mr. Kyere it was by the Grace of God who released him from the victims of death so he could come and tell the whole world what Yahya Jammeh had done to them. Nine years after the report, he still feels bitter, not only for himself but for his entire colleagues who made the trip.

“I don’t know the facts and truth UN and ECOWAS used to arrive on the basis that Jammeh didn’t know anything about it. I was totally and bitterly disappointed in the report; not me alone but also the travelling members”, Mr. Kyere lamented.

He was hopeful when the investigative team from the two bodies met him in Accra to listen to his side of the story but did not hear from them again only for them to come out with that “unfortunate” report in 2009.

“I was invited to a meeting with the delegation in a hotel around the foreign affairs ministry. I was there from morning till evening. They just asked me what the story was about, I briefed them and didn’t hear from them again”, he stated. 

Ghana minister of information Dr. Mustapha Hamid has revealed that government was studying a request sent by Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International to extradite and prosecute Yahya Jammeh in Ghana.

Ghanaian Migrants in Gambia shot dead, thrown in wells, Jammeh’s hitman reveals

A former death squad member of the infamous paramilitary “junglers” of ex-Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh has described how more than 50 Ghanaian and other West African migrants were murdered in July 2005.

In a radio interview given in 2013 to a Gambian radio station and translated into English for the first time, Bai Lowe revealed how his unit covered the migrants’ heads with cheap plastic bags, shot them and dumped them in wells across Gambia’s border with Senegal.

One of the migrants escaped and after he was recaptured, a jungler “cut him into pieces like a Tabaski ram” and put him in a plastic sack.  (Tabaski is the Muslim “festival of sacrifice” Eid al-Adha at which rams and sheep are slaughtered.)

On May 16, 2018, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International released a report based on interviews with 30 former Jammeh-era officials showing that the migrants were murdered by the junglers after having been detained by Jammeh’s closest deputies in the army, navy, and police forces.

In response to the report, Martin Kyere, the sole known Ghanaian survivor of the massacre, the families of those disappeared in Gambia, and Ghanaian human rights organizations, called on the Ghanaian government to investigate the new evidence and potentially seek Jammeh’s extradition and prosecution in Ghana.

Ghana Minister of Information, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, announced last week that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General’s Department were “studying” the request “to ask for the extradition to, and trial of Yahaya Jammeh in Ghana.”

William Nyarko, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), who is coordinating the campaign in Ghana to have Jammeh prosecuted for the massacre, said that the jungler’s testimony underscored the importance of Ghana taking up the case. “Forty-four Ghanaians were cruelly murdered in a foreign country. The gruesome killings as narrated Bai Lowe should shock the conscience of Ghana to get to the bottom of what happened and ultimately bring the perpetrators to account.”

Bai Lowe, ex junglers member 

Baboucar “Bai” Lowe, a former Gambian Army Warrant officer, who is now living in Germany, described the events in his 2013 interview with journalist Pa Nderry M’Bai of Freedom Radio based in North Carolina (USA):

“We got information that they were captured mercenaries … who were coming to attack the Gambia. So, we caught them, and we took them to the NIA [National Intelligence Authority] office. From the NIA headquarters, they were scattered, and [then] we took them to Kanilai [Yahya Jammeh’s home village]”

Following an order to kill the migrants; “Two guys will just bring you to the well execute you and throw you in the well [in Senegal]. That is where I saw them use a pistol to kill people….. [T]hey hold you and shoot you, while they already had a plastic bag over your head, the one dalasi [= 10 Ghanaian Pesewas] black plastic bags, shoot you and throw you in the well.”

Regarding the escapee, Bai Lowe stated; “Yes, one escaped, he was caught near Kankurang and Bambara. When he was caught, [Sanna] Manjang [a Jungler] went there and cut him into pieces like a Tabaski ram and put him into a sack. He even boasts about that, that nobody has done what he did for the Gambia because he has cut more people into pieces than any soldier in the Gambian Army. He said he has more guts than the kids because the kids cannot do what he did. He has killed people, cut them up, bagged them and threw them in [the bush]”

Bai Lowe, who was trained in Libya, served in the Gambian Presidential Guard and the junglers for some 12 years before being arrested himself in 2012 and jailed in Banjul’s infamous Mile 2 prison. After his release, he participated in a December 2014 coup attempt.

Bai Lowe’s account squares with that of the survivor Martin Kyere, who jumped out of a pick-up truck and into the forest just before the other detainees in the truck were apparently shot and killed.

Kyere has been advocating for the Ghana government to prosecute the case. “We need to make clear that Ghanaians abroad can’t be tortured and killed with impunity. By prosecuting this crime, the government will be protecting and standing up for Ghanaians everywhere.”

In a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding between Ghana and Gambia intended to put the issue to rest , the two countries “pledged to pursue through all available means the arrests and prosecution of all those involved in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals, especially those identified as culprits in the report.” No arrests have ever been made in connection with the case.

However, the Ghanaian groups which have called for Jammeh’s prosecution include the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), Perfector of Sentiments Foundation (POS), Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), and Amnesty International.

Source: Jammeh2Justice  https://www.facebook.com/Jammeh2Justice/posts/2071581913114388

Editorial: Anas' Money Ball Vs Kennedy Agyepong's Who Watches the Watchman

Anas Aremeyaw (right) and Hon. Agyepong (left) 

For the past few weeks, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central in the Central Region, Hon. Kennedy Agyepong has been accusing investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas for being corrupt himself.

The MP made these attacking comments prior to the premiering of Anas' latest corruption investigative piece, Number XII, also dubbed Money Ball.

One important thing, which The Manual believes is worth mentioning is what the MP stated: "when someone raises accusing finger on a corrupt fellow, that person must also be clean".

This, The Manual thinks is a fair comments. Aside this, we are unhappy with some portions of Hon. Agyepong's comments.

In one of his submissions, he showed some pictures purported to be Anas and entreated his sympathisers to "beat" and "slap" Anas and his boys wherever they see them as he (MP) mentioned that he was capable of paying any amount of money in case any casualties result from the beatings.

The Manual sees this as a high level of threats that must be dealt with by the security agencies accordingly for the safety of not only Anas, but all journalists.

Notwithstanding, Anas has provided concrete evidences on the people he accused of being corrupt in his latest exposé.

More than 60 premier league referees, including their female counterparts and some match officials were seen collecting bribe prior to the commencement of league matches.

One of such referees is the hardened referee Samuel Suker who awarded an 83rd minute penalty to Hearts of Oak against arch rivals Asante Kotoko after the ball hits the back of kotoko's defender Ahmed Adams. This was during the 2017 Ghana Premier League. He took Ghc1500 and a goat to influence the game as Hearts won 1-0.

The return leg of this fixture in Accra was not left out as referee Dally Gagba was also given his share to influence the game in Kotoko's favour. Eventually, he awarded a similar dubious penalty to Kotoko when the ball hit the shoulder of Hearts of Oak's defender.

We believe that these great evidences by Anas is worth commended at all levels as referees and match commissioners who should ensure the sanity of the game are rather destroying the beauty of the game.

On the other hand, Hon, Agyepong has on many occasions, mentioned that Anas himself is not a "saint". He added that he also has evidences showing Anas collecting bribes from some agents which he has titled the videos "Who Watches the Watchman". That is also good.

In order to have a level playing field and also to vindicate Hon. Agyepong on his numerous allegations against Anas, the Manual will entreat the MP to show those evidences accordingly.

Already, he has promised to show it on his TV network -Net 2 on Friday and we wait patiently to see those videos.

Meanwhile, The Manual was extremely shocked after watching Anas' documentary, Number 12 today at the Accra International Conference Centre. These evidences cast a slur on Ghana's top flight football league.

It also tells that eventual winners of the 2017 Ghana Premier League -Aduana Stars, may not deserve it. Those evidences were only the ones Tiger Eye, -Anas'company went undercover to trap those referees.

How would we know what the other clubs did with these same officials without the influence of Tiger Eye? And yes, it is very possible.

The Manual believes that these videos will change Ghana Football forever. It will never be the same again.

Below are pictures of the show.