Bloodbath in Anloland

By concerned citizens in the Diaspora, USA

November 11, 2007

We “THE CONCERNED CITIZENS OF ANLO IN THE DIASPORA” have learnt with horror and sadness the shocking bloody massacre of our kinsmen by the officers of the Ghana Police Service on November 1st 2007, a day that will go down in INFAMY IN THE ANNALS OF ANLOLAND.

Concerned Citizens saw disaster coming piece by piece and warned authorities on numerous occasions to no avail. OUR OUTRAGE IS DIRECTED AT HIGH GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE, SOME OF THE CORRUPT AND PARTISAN PRESS, AND A CORRUPT GHANA JUDICIAL SERVICE. At their doors lies responsibility for the horrible loss of life.

The sad events of “BLOODY THURSDAY” were the case of Government failure to listen to its own people. It was a cruel and cynical man made disaster that could have been averted. The similarity between the Anlo tragedy and the Dagbon tragedy are striking.

In 2003 we wrote a series of articles pleading with Government to act and avert blood bath. Our pleas went unheeded by Government.

It is clear that the tragedy of “Bloody Thursday” November 1st 2007 was just the culmination of years of atrocities by Nyonyo and his accomplices and benign neglect by the Government. We now know of the seven who have made the ultimate sacrifice. There can be no Victor in this insane carnage, nor a victory parade and a Victor’s crown! WE ARE ALL LOOSERS!

THE EVENTS OF BLOODY THURSDAY

The circumstances surrounding the deaths of 3 youths and an old lady are in doubt. On Thursday November 1st 2007, one Francis Nyonyo Agboada aka Seth Lumorvi Atitsogbui, aka Francis Osei Agboada, a known thug and rubble rouser, thought the time was opportune for him to make the ULTIMATE GRAB FOR POWER IN ANLOLAND. He made a move to seize the Awoamezi the sacred throne of the King of Anlo. By his calculation, he could then proclaim himself the Awoamefia (KING) of Anlo. Under heavy Police guard Nyonyo and his entourage, led by his lap dog, Togbui Hor of Agbozume, attempted to enter a sacred shrine of the Anlos (Agor’s Court). The youths of Anlo had wind of the planned desecration and so congregated at the shrine to prevent Nyonyo and his thugs from committing sacrilege. The youth had no guns and were not breaking any laws. Nyonyo’s advance group of armed thugs and rubble rousers, who were trucked in from outside, attacked the local youth who also defended themselves. Pandemonium broke out when the Police, with total disregard for Police procedure and Human life, opened fire on the youth with life ammunition. No warning to disperse, no tear gas, no shots to disable! Three youths and an old lady on her way to market were cut down in the hail of bullets.

The enraged youth stood their grounds. One Police officer also lost his life. Incensed by the death of their compatriots the Police went on a rampage in Anloga, indiscriminately brutalizing the citizenry, kicking doors down and vandalizing property. The hoodlums and the Police ransacked the Palace of AWADADA (FIELD MARSHAL) OF ANLO. Local youth suspected of being opposed to Nyonyo were beaten up and sent to jail in Ho and Nsawam where they were tortured physically. Two of them died in Police custody. Meanwhile Anloga and the surrounding towns were placed under siege and a dusk to dawn (6pm to 6am) curfew was imposed on the area.

THE POLICE AS NYONYO’S PRIVATE ARMY?

As all patriotic Ghanaians we would want to believe that:

1. Ghana belongs to the Council of Nations dedicated to upholding human rights at home and abroad.

2. Ghana is a signatory to relevant International Statutes forbidding torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners.

In the days to come we will hope that our Government at home will rise to the occasion and stop this “theatre of the insane”.

THE GRIEVANCES OF THE CITIZENS OF ANLO AGAINST THE POLICE ARE NUMEROUS.

1. For years now the Police force has functioned as A PRIVATE ARMY FOR NYONYO. The ELITE PANTHER FORCE of the Ghana Police Service routinely serves as BODYGUARDS for Nyonyo. On numerous occasions this unit comes from their base in Accra to brutalize and intimate the citizens of AnloLand at Nyonyo’s behest.

2. Numerous complaints and enquiries to Government officials about Nyonyo, a private citizen being accorded that Police escort have gone unanswered.

3. Basic Human Rights of the people of Anloland have been trampled on by Nyonyo with the help of the Police.

a) The Police in Anloland routinely prevent the Anlo Chiefs from meeting to deliberate over the peoples business. Any such meeting is quickly scuttled by the Police at Nyonyo’s orders.
b) Nyonyo recently tried to prevent Chief James Ocloo of Keta’s outdooring again with the help of the Police.
c) The Police of Anloga routinely refuse to give out statement forms to citizens who are victims of violence perpetrated by Nyonyo’s thugs. We do have names and pictures of bloodied crime victims.

The participatory and facilitatory role of the Police in crimes against Anlos extends to the top of the Police force. The Regional Police Commander at Ho left no doubt about his very partisan handling of the sad tragedy at Anloga on November 1st 2007.

1. He was careful not to arrest any of the outsider thugs and provocateurs who initiated the violence.

2. Some of these wounded thugs were reported spirited away to a hospital at Denu and granted safe conduct by the Police out of Anloland after treatment.
3. The Police went from house to house using Nyonyo’s thugs as guides. Youths fingered out by these thugs were arrested, brutalized and hauled to jail.

4. The curfew in Anloga did not apply to Nyonyo’s thugs who went out and ransacked the AWADADA’S PALACE.

5. Within hours of discovery of the body of the only Police casualty of the violence, the Regional Police Commander announced that he had identified the blood of the dead Police officer in the AWADADA’S PALACE. Under the best of circumstances a DNA match could take weeks. Furthermore we are not aware of the Ghana Police having a DNA laboratory and trained personnel capable of the task of DNA matching. Regardless of this fact, the Regional Police Commander Bernard Guyiri Dery recklessly rushed to judgement, obviously aiming at smearing and implicating the AWADADA of Anlo, perceived to be opposed to Nyonyo’s power grab.

6. Within hours of the outbreak of violence Commander Bernard Guyiri Dery informed the whole world that “the Anlo youth were not shot by the Police, they rather grabbed guns from the Police on the scene and killed themselves accidentally with Police guns”.

7. This hapless Commander was reported as claiming that the two who died in Police custody died by knocking their own heads against the wall.

8. In a letter written by Bernard Guyiri Dery to Dumega Raymond Okudzeto (and since made public) this officer showed, by his own words, his partisan affiliation to the ruling party in Ghana, trumps all peace and security consideration in Anloland.

9. There is no evidence to date showing that the Police have secured the CRIME SCENE.

10. There is no mention of under whose orders the Police infact invaded Anloga on November 1st 2007.

11. Pertinent questions as:

a) Number of rounds issued to each Police officer.
b) Number of rounds fired by each Police officer.
c) Retrieved bullets and casings at the scene and their source.
d) The world deserves to know ultimately the guns from which the bullets were fired. These should be done by qualified ballistic experts.

GOVERNMENT CYNICAL ROLE IS THE POLITICAL PRIZE WORTH THE COST OF HUMAN LIFE AND SUFFERING.

It has been seven days since the deadly event in Anloga occurred on November 1st 2007. We are particularly saddened by the total absence of leadership by Kuffour’s Government. A prompt visit to the scene, a televised speech to the NATION and an appeal for calm by President Kuffour of Ghana would have made him look presidential and convinced we the Anlos that “our President feels our terrible pain. Mr. President, better late than never”.

It is apparent that for some strange reasons of their own Government is working hand in gloves with Francis Nyonyo Agboada in terrorizing Anlo. If this is not true what business have the IGP got doing by paying homage to Nyonyo in Anloga some couple of months ago implicitly affording him recognition and support despite the numerous petitions and disclaimers from the King makers addressed to him?

We refer to a well written article by the Clan Heads, Elders, and Chiefs of Anlo on the topic. This article listed the numerous complaints to various Interior Ministers, the IGP, the Vice President and the President about the use of Police as a private Army by Nyonyo.

Questionable judgements and benign neglect by some judges handling cases brought by the Chiefs in attempts to stop Nyonyo make mockery of our judicial system. A bias and corrupt media promoted and created a public persona for Nyonyo while denying all others the right to voice their opinions.
The role of the Daily Graphic, a national paper, is distressing and shameful. The pseudo journalist by the name TIMOTHY GOBAH actually deserves to remain nameless, being deserving of no wastage of ink and paper, but for the great harm his brand of journalism has brought to Anlo.

OUR DEMANDS TO GOVERNMENT ARE SIMPLE.

1 Lift the medieval type siege on Anloland. The siege is creating untold hardship for our people.

2. Lift the curfew on Anloland. We have never killed ourselves and do not intend to kill ourselves in the future.

3. Dismiss the Regional Police Commander Bernard Guyiri Dery. He is very partisan and the ultimate cause of the problem. He is a derelict. He is not capable of handling the crime scene and collecting materials and evidence professionally. He has already tipped his hands and exposed his affiliation.

4. Transfer all present Police officers at Anloga and Keta out of the area. They are an embarrassment to the uniforms they wear.

5. Set up a commission of inquiry with subpoena powers to investigate the deadly Anloga incident.

6. Explain to the people the special relationship between the Police and Nyonyo.

7. A vigorous investigation of the seven deaths, including that of the Police officer and punishment proportionate to any crimes proven to be committed.
8. Immediate compensation to citizens for property damaged by the Police and the thugs the Police abated.

9. The Regional Minister of Volta Region is deeply involved in this tragic saga and should be relieved of his duty. Mr. Kofi Dzamesi is part of the problem and must go.

10. The DCE of Keta, Mr. Edward Ahiabor is partisan and should be relieved of his duties.

To the citizenry of Anlo, we plead for calm. We do feel your pain and loss. We want to assure you that, nobody would be allowed, not even the Government, to disregard our sacred culture, processes and procedures of installing an Awoamefia for the Anlo State.

To Francis Nyonyo Agboada aka Seth Lumorvi Atitsogbui we say prepare for your exit from Anloland. “YOU CANNOT RUN; YOU CANNOT EVEN HIDE.” For you “OUR CUP OF FORBEARANCE HAS OVERFLOWN”.

Signed by Eddie Ditchfield-Agboh and Dr. Yao Kaledzi for Concerned Citizens in the Diaspora