Calls have been intensified for the relieving of the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Upper West Denkyira from his post for making ‘undignified’ comments regarding the lynching of an Army Captain in his district.
Daniel Appianing responding to the gruesome murder of the Captain Maxwell Mahama on Adom FM’s Morning Show, ‘Dwaso Nsem’ on Tuesday expressed claimed that the lynched Army Captain was the head of a team from the military which has been protecting illegal Chinese galamseyers in the area.
The Chinese, he said despite having a license to prospect for gold in the forest are rather engaged in illegal mining and are heavily protected by the military who prevents residents of the community to enter the forest.
“There is a large number of military personnel protecting the Chinese that the lynched soldier is alleged to be part of it, in fact he is said to be the leader…am shocked they are not briefing you very well but rather claiming they are here to fight galamseyers…,” he said.
This comment of the DCE has not gone well with members of the public including the Defense Minister who have insisted that the DCE would do himself a lot of good if he ceases to comment on the issue as he is unaware of the full facts in the case.
“I don’t know who this DCE is but he should not speak on this again because he does not understand the issue…,” Dominic Nitiwul said on the same show yesterday.
The comment of the Minister has been widely held by social and political commentators who have commented on the lynching of the Army Captain.
A Deputy Director at the National Service Secretariat, Henry Nana Boakye speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show, ‘Dwaso Nsem’ Wednesday insisted that there was the need for the President to axe the DCE from his position.
According to him, the DCE does not merit his post because of his seeming endorsement of lawless behavior.
“That man (DCE) must be fired…he is a member of my party and still he must be fired because as a DISEC Chairman, he ought to have had enough proper briefing before coming out…,” he said.
He added that there can be no justification for the lynching of the Captain Mahama ‘assuming without admitting that he was at the location to even protect galamseyers.’
As a DCE, Nana B said, he ought to have used his position to unite the people other than cause disaffection and justify the lynching of an Army Captain.
The opinion of Nana B was shared by Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako.
Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo programme Wednesday, the veteran journalist also called for the head of the DCE whom he said has failed to live up to expectation.
The DCE should be dismissed with immediate effect. Factually, the account he gave about the incident was not true,” alluding to the DCE’s comments on the murder of Captain Maxwell Mahama there.
A lecturer at the University of Ghana, Associate Professor Ransford Gyampoh also called for the dismissal of the DCE as well for justifying the lynching of the Army Captain as well.
Watch Nana B’s submission below: