South African High Commission requests access to captured citizens

The South African High Commission has initiated diplomatic contacts with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to grant it access to the three captured South Africans who are in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

According to JOYNEWS sources, the Commission wants to pick the fingerprints and DNA details of the three to cross check in South Africa after which they can conclude their investigations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to grant the request of the Commission by close of business, Tuesday, JOYNEWS has confirmed.

The Commission said access will enable it to gain first-hand information from South Africa on how the three men entered Ghana, with what visa and whether they are affiliated with the company they say they represent.

On March 20, BNI officials arrested three South African ex-police officers in the Central region for engaging in what it described as “acts that threaten the country’s security”.

The three men, Major Ahmed Shaik Hazis (Rtd.) 54, WO/Denver Dwayhe Naidu (Rtd.) 39, and Captain Mlungiseleli Jokani (Rtd.) 45 were picked up at the El Capitano Hotel in Agona Duakwa in the Central region.

According to the BNI report, “The trio, all ex-police officers were engaged in training fifteen young men in various military drills, including unarmed combat, weapon handling, VIP protection techniques and rapid response maneuvers”.

The BNI has disclosed that its arrest of the trio is in consonance with The Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 1996 (ACT 526).

The Act in section 12 (1d) states that the security agencies have the responsibility to “protect the State against the activities of persons, both nationals and non-nationals, intended to overthrow the governmetn of Ghana or undermine the constitutional order through illegal political, military, industrial or other means or through any other unconstitutional method; and (e) perform such other functions as may be directed by the President or the Council.”

However, the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted reports of the BNI and Daily Graphic describing them as packs of propaganda designed to improve the fortunes of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking to JOYNEWS, Deputy Communication Director, Perry Okudzeto said the trio were invited into the country to train the party’s security operatives to enable them beef up security around their flagbearer and running mate.

“We are training our security people to be able to engage in crowd controlling and to protect the Flagbearer as well as the running mate,” he said.

He also said the three South Africans are ex-police officials and have the credential for training security operatives for government functionaries across the world including the former South African Presidents, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.

However, JOYNEWS sources have confirmed that any form of trainings in the area of management and crowd control have been vested in the Ghana Police Service which has a separate unit for that purpose.

This therefore means that no institution has the right to do so without the notice of the Police Service and the Interior Minister, JOYNEWS has confirmed.