Minister of State in charge of National Security Bryan Acheampong says his ministry is aware of operations of an alleged pro-NPP militia group De-Eye Group.
Mr. Acheampong said although they know of the activities of the group, they conducted checks which indicate that activities of the group do not threaten national security in any way.
“At NO time did we see these people conducting any training regime that we will consider a security threat.
“We did all the works and assured ourselves that De Eye Group was not a Vigilante Group (truest form and interpretation), Militia, or criminal organization.
“Importantly, we did not classify or see their operation as a threat to the state and or government,” Mr. Acheampong noted in a Facebook post on Sunday.
The Minister noted that the Group is only made up of unemployed youth seeking job opportunities, and cannot be referred to as a vigilante or militia group.
“We were aware of their end of year party at the castle gardens. But No one, nobody, seeing these innocent job seeking young men and women can conclude that they are a vigilante group or militia. In fact they don’t pass for a school cadet.”
Activities of De-Eye Group was brought to the attention of the general public through a documentary by Joy FM journalist Manasseh Azure, who captured the alleged militia group meeting and operation from the Christianborg Castle, a place which used to be the seat of government.
In the documentary, Director of Communications at the presidency Eugene Arhin is said to have denied knowledge of the group operating from the Christianborg Castle per his checks from the National Security.
But in contrast to what the Director of Communications is reported to have said, the Minister in charge of National Security has admitted knowledge of the Group and its operations.
According to the minister, the operations of the group solely focuses on recruitment and employment issues, hence, they do not have the tendency to cause harm.
He said the leader of the group who formerly worked with the president started operating from the Castle, but was later stopped from carrying out his activities.
“We are also aware that Nana Wireko alias Choman started his company from his former Secretariat at the castle where we warned him on two occasions and arrested him, threw him out of the office and shut it down in October on our third encounter with him.
“It has not come to our notice that he’d had access to the office since. Their new office is located at Dzorwulu,” Bryan Acheampong explained.
Mr. Acheampong, however, stated that because of advertisements which indicates that the group operates from the Castle, people continue to go there looking for the group despite the fact that they had been cleared from there.
“We are also aware that due to their extensive marketing efforts on TV, radio, website and their placement success rate, a lot of unsuspecting unemployed continued to visit the castle In search of De Eye group.”
He also said persons in charge of managing the Castle ought to be questioned about activities of the Group.
“Those responsible for managing the Castle lawn must answer why they allowed these people on their space. Since it’s no longer a security installation our interest ended when we determined the purpose of gathering and satisfied ourselves extensively that they pose no threats.”
The Minister also assured that his ministry has “the men, masked and unmasked to suppress any threat to our peace and security if indeed there is one”.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana