By Gifty Boateng
Operatives of the National Security have been busy today Friday May 23, after storming two residences of members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for separate reasons.
The first to be visited and arrested was one Alfred Ababio Kumi after he petitioned President John Mahama, to dissolve a committee he set up to investigate three petitions brought against the suspended Chief Justice, Gertrude Esaaba Torkornoo.
Popularly known as Adenta Kumi, he had alleged that he had evidence that some of the judges on the committee had met with one of the lawyers of one of the petitioners at a public in a mischievous manner.
Following that issue closely, was their storming with a search warrant, to the residence of the Ashanti Regional chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako alias Chairman Wontumi.
A video of the operation was later surfaced on the internet where the operatives were spotted outside of the entrance of the house, knocking and banging for inhabitants to open.
Dressed in their official apparels and holding their AK-47s, the operatives hanged around the house with occupants refusing to open the gate.
While the whereabouts of Wontumi is not readily known, he was heard on his radio station Wontumi radio/television, in tears complaining bitterly about the treatment being meted out to him.
He claimed he was being chased by the Mahama administration because of the NPP and Ghanaians and that as a politicians he has never held any political appointment to warrant the invasion.
“Ghanaians, rise up. All NPP members, rise up. I am being intimidated by President John Dramani because of you—members of the NPP. I have never been a vice president, a member, a CEO, or a board member of any state institute”.
In 2013, my business was collapsed, yet when we [the NPP] came to power, I didn’t retaliate. Now that you’ve assumed office on 2025, you’re still targeting my companies. Even my bank accounts have been frozen. Today, I struggled to eat and pay my children’s school fees. What state money came to me that justifies this harassment”.
Wontumi is already being investigated by the security agencies for his company Akonta Mining’s illegal invasion into the Tano Numiri forest in the Western Region. He was invited last week Wednesday but he failed to appear.
His lawyer, Andy Appiah Kubi, speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story claimed his client was unwell and that they have rescheduled the meeting to Monday May 25.
Meanwhile, last year, Wontumi bragged he was more powerful than president Mahama who was then the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, he controlled things even when Mahama was president from 2013 to 2016 and that anytime he wanted to visit Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, the national security had to negotiate with him.
“Your likeness or dislikeness cannot determine my success in life. Me, Wontumi, 2013 you destroyed my business, you seized my 500 excavators, 400 pickups, Mahama don’t you fear me that after all that you did to me, I am still holding the captainship for you to say when I come I will collapse Akonto Mining, are you not afraid when you see me? Even when you were president national security had to negotiate with me before you enter [into Kumasi].
You think Wontumi is a small team? You want to arrest me? I will let them deal with the NDC if they like let them try it today. I will hit twice if they hit one, they can’t do anything to Wontumi. If you want to scare someone then it is Wontumi, Mahama? If I come face to face and you come with your soldiers let see if you can dare defeat me. Can you push Wontumi? The difference between legal and illegal mining the documents so as a miner are you saying I don’t know how to get documents done? Mahama, you will not win this election, what campaign have you done, what policy have you espoused, you want to win to avenge your enemies”? he said on his station.