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Damongo, Ghana – The Communication Bureau of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Savannah Region has threatened to make the Savannah Region a ”hell” for Honourable Salifu Adam Braimah, the Savannah Regional until the missing Toyota is found.
Speaking at a Press Conference held in the NDC regional office in Damongo, the communication director for the party in the Savannah Region, Mr Malik Basintale said the ultimatum of 5 days to return the “so called” Stolen Pickup had elapsed without any positive news from the minister and the Regional Coordinating Council.
He said the NDC had been so tolerant enough and we will no longer plead with the Regional Minister and His Team to return the “Stolen” Hilux Pickup since they have learnt so quickly from their ”Bosses” the bad habits since the NDC will not allow them to tarnish the enviable reputation and image of the infant Region.
The NDC in the Savannah Region urged the Ghana Police service to continue in investigations and not to allow themselves be used in matters like this so as not to tarnish their hard- Earned reputation.
Below is the full Statement released today by the NDC:
PRESS CONFERENCE
Monday, 22 July 2019.
NDC-SAVANNAH REGION DECLARES OPERATION “NO PICKUP, NO MERCY” AGAINST S/R MINISTER AS POLICE AFFIRMS THE SUSPICION OF “COCK AND BULL” STORIES AROUND MINISTER’S “STOLEN” PICKUP.
Good morning Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, distinguished Stakeholders of the Savannah Region present, all protocols duly observed
We Welcome you all to this maiden Press Conference of the NDC in the Savannah. The Regional Executive Committee wish to take this opportunity on behalf of the teaming members and supporters of the Party to thank you for the effective roles you have been playing as the fourth estate of the realm at the peril of your lives and with threats and intimidation from government all in your effort to keep the citizenry well informed. Indeed Ghana’s democratic experimentation would have been impossible without your crucial role as gatekeepers, scorekeepers and watchdogs of our democracy and as such the growth of the Savannah Region will be ABSOLUTELY impossible without gallant men like you. We salute you and say Soldier On without fear or favour, ill-will or affection.
We again thank you for the support so far in unveiling the truth around the “So called Stolen” PickUp even though some colleagues of yours have decided to play mischief by deliberately discussing it as a political banter and not a Patriotic Call.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it will be recalled that the Party gave the Regional Minister an ultimatum of 5 days to return the “so called” Stolen Pickup after we Exposed the malfeasance to the general public when we suspected a foul play through our intelligence on the ground.
Today Marks the 7th Day of our 5 days ultimatum to the Regional Minister and the Savannah RCC to return the “stolen Toyota Hilux Pickup”. Sadly, it has still not surfaced despite the Police Clues to some labeling their Stories as “Cock and bull”.
We have therefore invited you here to shine more light on the issue after our Press release. This we believe will further “Force” the reluctant Regional Minister and Regional Coordinating Council to by “Hook or Crook” Provide the” So called Stolen Toyota Hilux PickUp” at all cost. And I repeat at all cost!
Let me quickly state that We have also heard calls from some clergy calling on we political parties to redirect our energies into probing and Resolving Governments planting for food and jobs program, fertilizer distribution program, 1V1D and to also Monitor the District Assemblies. We thank them for their interest and acknowledgment of the failures in the above sectors, hence the need for sustained pressures in those areas. However, I am sure they are equally not happy commencing this infant Region with the type of crime as big as stealing a Toyota Hilux Pickup worth thousands of Ghana cedis of which the Holy bible, Quran and even our traditions condemn outrightly. We wish to assure them that, we shall go into the areas suggested after dealing with this broad daylight crime.
As a political Party born out of integrity and accountability and being a Major stakeholder in the Savannah Region, We sought to set the records straight on the Matter and providing the sequence of events for all to understand why this isn’t just an NDC-NPP Banter but rather a fight to maintain the integrity and credibility of the Savannah Region, by not allowing a single individual, group of individuals or Party Charlatans to dent our hard-earned reputation as a People. Indeed the creation of the Savannah Region was actively pursued by all parties, chiefs and other stakeholders including you the media. The gallant efforts of us all will be meaningless if we have such incredible behaviors taking centre stage in our Regional Politics only to be looked on unconcerned by persons in Political administration as managers of the Region.
THE CONTROVERSIES:
First was a statement sourced from www. Graphic. com. The said story quoted one DSP Mohammed Yusif Tanko, and officer in charge of the Police
Public Relations in the Northern Region as saying that the Complainant, through his statement to the Police stated that the said vehicle was parked in the residence of one Alhaji Illiasu Tanko of Tamale.
Alhaji Illiasu is said to be a friend to the Savannah Regional Minister, Hon. Salifu Adam Braimah and so the Minister went to park the vehicle in his house whilst he [Minister] travelled out of town for a meeting.
DSP Yussif Tanko still quoting the Statement of the Complainant said that he [Alhaji Illiasu] was in his house around 9 pm on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, when armed robbers attacked him at gunpoint and demanded the keys to the vehicle. We are again told that He Alhaji Eliasu Tanko gave the robbers the keys and they grabbed him into the vehicle and drove off to a distance of about 20 kilometers away from his house, dropped him and fled with the vehicle.
Another story of the same incident sourced from www. Ghanaweb states:
The Toyota Hilux pick-up vehicle with registration number WR 3516-19 according to police sources that confirmed to MyNewsGh. com, had picked the Minister from Damongo and was dropped off at the Tamale airport to attend an official meeting in Accra.
While returning to Tamale township, the driver only identified as Eliasu was attacked by armed men numbering about five who seized the vehicle and later tied him to a tree in the bush and fled with the vehicle.
Some persons who later spotted him fastened to the tree while going to the farm, rescued him after which an official complaint was lodged with the Northern Regional Police Command who confirmed.
The above inconsistencies prompted us to issue a press release asking the following questions.
FACTS AND QUESTIONS FROM “FAKE” CONTROVERSY ABOVE:
- It is a known Fact that the Official Vehicle of the Regional Minister is a Nissan Patrol V8 which was handed-over to him. Why wasn’t the Minister using his official Vehicle since he Claims the assignment was an official one?
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Mr. minister, It is a known fact that the Minister is entitled to a Police dispatch Convoy, A police BodyGuard et al. Why wasn’t the Minister in use of such on that said day, if the second story is anything to go by?
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It is a known Fact that the ministers aligned Office in other Regions is their respective RCC. Mr. Minister, Why wasn’t the Vehicle parked at the NR-RCC by Law, but instead at the house of a friend? Regardless, why wasn’t the Pick-Up even parked at the Ministers residence at Kpalsi in Tamale, since he claims to have left the Vehicle in Tamale.
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Mr. minister, Why wasn’t the News of “so-called” Robbery broadcasted until some persons who needed the pick-Up for other assignments started raising Red Flags to the absence of the pickup about a month after?
5.Among all other vehicles that have the Savannah Regional -RCC inscription on them, why was the Toyota Hilux Pickup Claimed to be Stolen not inscribed with same but left like any normal Pickup?
- What’s the relationship between Alhaji Eliasu and Hon. Salifu Braimah as it is alleged Alhaji Eliasu has been a major financier to Hon. Braimahs campaign and therefore Giving out state Assets to him results in a Family and Friends -conflict of interest?.
SEQUENCE OF EVENTS POST NDC EXPOSÈ IN A PRESS RELEASE:
- We first issued a press Release after getting reports that an RCC Toyota Hilux Pickup had been declared missing for the past 1 Month with the Regional minister Refusing to Voice it out.
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The DCE for Damongo runs to the defense of the Minister with a Fake, Cooked and incredible story denting his little credibility he had left but for some reasons I won’t speak much about him today since we don’t want to divert our focus just that I want to assure him that “We will soon start Removing such weeds from the Crops else in the near future, their growth will make fumigating the Farmland very difficult” and as the saying goes One groundnut spoils all in the mouth”
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We wrote to some stakeholders in the region asking them to step in and help in investigations since we suspected some Foul play in the whole incident
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The NPP rushed in to issue a statement with the aim of making it a political matter so it fades off, but failed woefully due to lack of substance, Content, aim and unguided Falsehood in their statement. (They are still in a Fix to either apologize for the Lies and false accusations or Go to court).
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The Police issued a statement to the effect that investigations had commenced and the said Persons mentioned in our Press Release had been picked up for investigations.
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The Police later confirmed that the statements given by the Two persons arrested were different to the extent that One of them had so far given so many different accounts of the incident sparking more doubts and suspicions.
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The RCC issued a “pretentious” statement asking all to come on board towards helping to retrieve the vehicle. They had no choice than to accept the fact that there was an internal Crime in the whole incident.
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The NDC and All Patriotic Indigenes still insisted the pickUp wasn’t “stolen in any robbery” as claimed and so we are still asking the Regional Minister to return the Pickup from wherever it was taken to.
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The Minister Confirmed on a number of platforms accepting guilt and taking responsibility of the whole incident.
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The Minister promised to provide the Missing Pickup “soon” on Citi Fm and also on Sagani TV. A program dubbed “Asansan” since he admitted the pickUp wasn’t missing as they wanted us to believe and further pleaded for forgiveness.
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The Police Service after preliminary investigations confirmed our suspicion to the effect that the said Toyota Hilux Pickup purported to have been
robbed was nothing more than a sham and therefore there was no robbery incident as claimed by the Ministers Friend.
Ladies and gentlemen, you can all attest to the fact that the information that was put out by the NDC wasn’t political or intended to score cheap political points but rather a Patriotic discharge of our Civic duty aimed only at safeguarding the Infant Savannah Region against any misconduct, theft, Super-incompetence, abuse of office and humongous disgrace being brought upon chiefs, elders and indigenes of this great region serving as a threat to even investors who may want to invest in our great region but for the fear of Such untrusted Leaders, May decide to relocate all investments. We can not as “Savannese”,, be moving about with an unsolicited tag of being Stealers of Toyota Hilux Pickups. Any miscreants amongst us must not just be identified but must be named and shamed to save the Integrity of the Larger Innocent Members of the nascent Region.
One May ask how we arrived at our first suspicions of not believing the story of the Minister’s Missing Pickup which really turned out to be true and as such It is important to share our first basis for not trusting that story.
Friends from the media, In the first place, we have a local adage which says that A person you can identify in the dark doesn’t need clues to be identified in broad daylight. Similarly if you were ever bitten by a snake, you have cause to suspect a long rope lying on your way.
That being the case, the said Minister in person has a reputation of not telling the truth and peddling Falsehood when hit by his own undoing.
The Hon. Adams Salifu Braimah, our Regional Minister also doubles as the MP for Salaga South Constituency. Somewhere late last year and the early part of this year, a recalcitrant group, belonging to his party, burnt down the NPP Constituency Office in Salaga, ostensibly to protest against the Government for siting the Savannah Regional Capital in Damongo, contrary to the assurances given them by their MP and other NPP bigwigs in Government. Instead of assuaging the pain of their rampaging youth who felt disappointed and betrayed, he rather took to divert attention from his party’s hoodlums and to falsely accuse the NDC.
Lo and behold, his own Party Executives who were having a meeting at the party office and who were chased out by their own members, came to refute the accusations of the Regional Minister against the NDC for the alleged act of arson. This was an emphatic disgrace to him by no mean persons but his own Constituency Executives. This public disgrace and embarrassment was heavy enough to occasion his resignation as an MP of the area, but he did not.
It therefore dawn on us to carefully scrutinize any statement purported to be coming from him with a nano microscope to detect any trace of falsity in it. Lo and behold, this one has also come to pass.
Ladies and gentlemen, How can we trust a man or party with such bad records.
We have been so tolerant enough and we will no longer plead with the Regional Minister and His Team to return the “Stolen” Hilux Pickup since they have learnt so quickly from their Bosses, the bad habits but will rather call the Out within the remits of the law so as not to allow them to tarnish the enviable reputation and image of the Region and to some extent the Salaga South Constituency.
We therefore Declare an Operation “No PickUp, No Mercy” with the theme #BringBackOurHiluxPickUp from this minute until the Toyota Hilux Pick-Up with registration number ER 3516-19 is returned to the Region safe and sound.
We continue to urge the Ghana Police service to continue in investigations and Not to allow themselves be used in Matters like this so as not to Tarnish their hard- Earned reputation.
We thank our Chiefs, Elders, Stakeholders and most especially our indefatigable Youth for the support in this agenda of being Citizens and not spectators.
Thank you all for coming as we continue this patriotic Savannah Citizens struggle towards retrieving our “So called” Stolen Hilux pickUp.
“Operation No PickUp, No Mercy” – #BringBackOurHiluxPickUp is duly declared….
Thank You.
Malik Basintale
Regional Communication Officer NDC-Savannah Region 0540444414
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Zion Abdul-Rauf
