Registration of foreigners uncovered

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Category: NewsBrief

Created on Wednesday, 28 March 2012 00:00

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Politics

 -Arrested Nigerian released on “orders from above”.

Credible information available to the New Statesman indicates that a Nigerian national who became the first foreigner to be arrested in the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise was released on “orders from above” the same day he was arrested.

Banwo Abiodun Ashimiu, 34, who resides at Dansoman Laststop, registered at the Opera Cinema No.1 polling station at Cowlane and was issued a Voter ID card with number 2168002042. He was arrested Monday as he led a group of foreigners who were attempting to register.

Mr Ashimiu was arrested by NPP agents after he was heard by some residents in the area bragging that he had acquired a voter ID card. Residents informed the NPP agents and when arrested, Ashimiu produced his voter ID card and claimed he had also registered for the National ID card as a Ghanaian.

After NPP agents had effected Ashimiu’s arrest, he was taken to the Dansoman Police Station where the police officers on duty advised the NPP agents to report him to the Electoral Commission while the police continued their investigations.

Before they could do so, sources at the Dansoman Police Station have told the New Statesman, the Dansoman police received orders to transfer the suspect to the Accra Central Police Station.

When they arrived with Ashimiu at the Accra Central Police Station, a number of National security personnel, acting on the instructions of Presidential Aide, Nii Lante Vanderpuiye, insisted that the suspect be released. The National Security operatives then demanded that NPP agents who arrested Biodun should rather be detained “for assault”. Mr Ashimiu was released.

All this ensued in the presence of the Crime Officer at the Accra Central Police Station, one Dompreh, and Rose Atinga Bio, former Greater Accra Regional Police Commander.

In view of this development, NPP party agents, who spoke to the paper, warned: “if the police will not enforce the law, we will take steps to ensure that our laws are respected.”

According to intelligence picked up by the paper, the NDC in its desperation to retain power is bent on packing the register with foreigners. The packing of register with foreigners is happening on a massive scale in the Odododiodoo, Ablekuma Central constituencies, with the NDC planning to step it up in the Ablekuma South constituency.

Fiifi Arhin Source: The Statesmanonline