Ursula Owusu blasts National Security Advisor Wants him to apologize to Ghanaians

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West in the Greater Accra Region has lambasted the National Security Advisor Mr. Baba Kamara for ordering the arrest of the managing director of Marbles and Granite gardens Dr. Edmund Ayo Ani.

Dr Ayo Ani was on Saturday arrested for allegedly circulating pictures of some Mahindra vehicles with photographs of President Mahama, which were parked in a yard belonging to the National Security Adviser.

Speaking on Oman FM’s National Agenda, Hon. Ursula Owusu, who is a former President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), described the conduct of the National Security Advisor as shameful and unprofessional.

She reminded Baba Kamara that he has been appointed as national security advisor and being paid with tax payer’s money to advise the President on matters of security and not to use his position to abuse people’s right.

She questioned whether it is now criminal for someone to take photographs of a place in Ghana for him to order the arrest of Dr. Ayo Ani since he (Dr. Ayo) has not admitted taking the photographs of the vehicle and circulated it.

“When did the taking of photographs become a criminal offense in the country? she quipped.

Hon. Ursula Ekuful who charged the National Security Advisor to desist from that lawless act called on him to apologize to Ghanaians for his shameful behavior.

She expressed outrage over the recent unwarranted involvement of the Bureau of National Security (BNI) in trivial matters, which are supposed to be handled by the police whilst abandoning their major role as an intelligence gathering security agency.

“BNI is now like an octopus and moving everywhere. They have abandoned their role and jumping from place to place and poking their noses into every issue. This is clear abuse of the intelligence agency,” Hon Ursula Owusu Ekuful asserted.

She accused the top hierarchy of the BNI for reversing the professionalism the Kufuor administration brought into the agency during that era and returning the agency into the era where the use of rough tactics was the order of the day in executing their mandate.

According to her, before the New Patriotic Party led by John Agyekum Kufour came to power in 2001, most of the security agencies were using brute force and rough tactics against law breakers to the extent that some were put in cells for more than two days without being told their offenses.

This, she said, bought enmity between the agencies and Ghanaians.

Hon. Ursula Owusu said Kufour administration took steps to correct this by training officials of all the security agencies including BNI and National Security on the need to respect the human rights of the citizens.

She said although it took sometime before the security agencies particularly National Security and BNI embraced the new approach, they turned away from human rights abuses.

“It looks to me that when NPP exited power, the BNI and National Security under NDC have returned to the old ways of dealing with suspects. The “buga” “buga” mentality they used to operate has resurfaced. So today when a police officer stops you on the way, you can’t even tell whether the officer who is asking you to stop is the “buga” “buga” police officer or it is a professional police officer or Baba Kamara’s “buga” “buga” boys, who will come after you even if you are sleeping or the professional BNI official,” Hon. Ursula Owusu Ekuful noted.

“What kind of nonsense is that? How do we run a civilized country like that? Are we in the jungle? she questioned.

Story by: Michael Creg Afful

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