Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, has revealed he has lived under threats of assassination, armed robbery, and the burning of his house, since 16 November 2020.
According to him, late Director of Research at the Presidency, Victor Newman aborted the discussions to assassinate him.
He claimed President Nana Akufo-Addo’s undercover operatives and agents were unleashed on his residence at the dawn of Monday 3 July 2023 at 2:15 am for defending persons whose constitutional rights to personal liberty are being trampled upon by their surrogates.
“These threats intensify any time I exercise my right to defend the Constitution just as I did recently on 28 June 2023 and 30 June 2023 resulting in a covert attack on my residence at 2:15 am, dawn yesterday, Monday 3 July 2023,” he claimed.
The former Attorney General made the disclosure in a statement while reacting to a directive by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its communicators to refrain from attacking the Dormaahene over his comments on the trial of Assin North MP, James Gyakye Quayson.
“The distinguished and eminent chief of the Dormaas is lucky that the communicators attacked only his personality on air and their superiors have seen the danger it poses for the NPP in the 2024 elections,” portions of the statement read.
Mr Amidu noted he shall not back down from defending the 1992 Constitution as he is enjoined to do as a citizen of Ghana.
“No Ghanaian patriot must be cowed by the threats of those violating the Constitution,” he advised.
However, he added, “As I said in November 2020, the President, Nana Akufo-Addo is ultimately responsible for anything violent that befalls me or my residence.”
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Below is the full statement:
NANA AKUFO-ADDO SHOULD STOP UNLEASHING HIS THUGS ON CITIZENS WHO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH: MARTIN A. B. K. AMIDU
Did I read from Ghana Web a report yesterday that the New Patriotic Party communication directorate has told their communicators that: “Communicators should not attack the personality of the chief though, we disagree with his call for the president to intervene or interfere with the independent work of the judiciary…”?
The distinguished and eminent chief of the Dormaas is lucky that the communicators attacked only his personality on air and their superiors have seen the danger it poses for the NPP in the 2024 elections.
In my case, Nana Akufo-Addo’s undercover operatives and agents were unleashed on my residence at the dawn of yesterday, Monday 3 July 2023 at 2:15 am for saying the same thing and defending persons whose constitutional rights to personal liberty are being trampled upon by their surrogates.
I have lived under threats of assassination, armed robbery, and the burning of my house, from this regime since 16 November 2020.
The late Victor Newman aborted the discussions to assassinate me then.
These threats intensify any time I exercise my right to defend the Constitution just as I did recently on 28 June 2023 and 30 June 2023 resulting in a covert attack on my residence at 2:15 am, dawn yesterday, Monday 3 July 2023.
As I said in November 2020, the President, Nana Akufo-Addo is ultimately responsible for anything violent that befalls me or my residence.
I shall not back down from defending the 1992 Constitution as I am enjoined to do as a citizen of Ghana. No Ghanaian patriot must be cowed by the threats of those violating the Constitution.
Blame Akufo-Addo if I’m harmed – Amidu, as he warns gov’t to ‘stop the attacks before we wash dirty linen in public’
In 202, Mr Amidu said if he was harmed in any way or killed, President Nana Akufo-Addo must be blamed for it.
According to him, he had been the target of threats of harm ever since he left office in connection with his corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment report on the controversial Agyapa Royalties deal.
Mr Amidu, who resigned from office as the Special Prosecutor on Monday, 16 November 2020, served notice to the Akufo-Addo government in an audio note that if the attacks on him do not cease, he would be forced to come out to defend his integrity “without fear or favour” and damn the consequences.
“Please, I have said since I left office that I was not going to do any fresh interviews about my resignation, I was not going to talk to the press. I am being pushed by so-called responses to me, which contain blatant falsehoods, to speak but I do not want anybody to blame me when I speak out and it becomes unpalatable”, Mr Amidu warned in an exclusive interview with Citi FM’s Umaru Amadu Sanda on Thursday, 19 November 2020.
“So, either the attacks stop or I’ll defend my integrity, even if that means my death. It is something I won by dint of hard work from the PNDC to date and I’m not going to allow anybody, not even the president, to pull that integrity into the mud”, the former Attorney General said.
“I am a poor man who tries to lead a straight and narrow life and crusaded against corruption without asking for payment, so, they will try to destroy me”, the Citizen Vigilante noted, adding: “Anybody who tries to fight corruption must be aware from the beginning that corruption will fight back and all that is going on is corruption fighting back”.
To him, “it is demonstrating that the whole rhetoric about fighting corruption was mere rhetoric”.
“The time for reckoning has come and nobody should push me. I repeat: nobody should push me”, Mr Amidu warned again.
He said: “They should tell their people, who they wrongly briefed to be telling lies about me, to stop before I decide to respond and when I decide to respond, I’ll do so without fear or favour, even to the extent that if my life will be taken for speaking the truth and defending the Constitution of Ghana, as by law established, I’ll do so”.
Mr Amidu stressed that as a private citizen, “nobody can control me and I have a constitutional right too, to defend myself and the Constitution of Ghana, as by law established”, indicating: “Corruption and corruption-related offences are forbidden by the Constitution and assessment of anti-corruption is something allowed under the Constitution and must not be subdued under personal attacks”.
“It must stop”, he emphasised.
Mr Amidu said his critics and detractors must know that he is a “Citizen Vigilante”.
“That is what they must remember”, adding: “All these threats about bugging me, armed robbery, burning my house, I’m aware”.
According to him, several attempts by him to speak to the Minister of National Security, Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, on the threats against him, hit dead ends.
“I tried to call Kan Dapaah, he didn’t pick it and I got a former national security advisor to contact him and tell him that, and I know the persons involved, I can name them but I reserve it for the meantime”, he said.
“I put my life for the republic of Ghana and the president will be responsible for anything that happens to me”, Mr Amidu charged.
He said there have been a plethora of threats of robbery and arson against him. “The intelligence is there and I called the minister of national security but he didn’t pick and I got a former national security advisor to speak to him and this fact is now known and I say that the president will be responsible for anything that happens to me”.
“I’m a Ghanaian and I don’t fear anything and, as I said, to die in the cause of fighting corruption is what I started with President Jerry Rawlings on 31st December 1982 and I’m not going to leave it because some people think that they can threaten me. I don’t give a damn about that.
“…If they don’t stop, I’ll respond”, he threatened, saying: “As to what I’ll do, I reserve that for myself but as I said, whatever happens to me, I lay my life for the republic of Ghana and the president has a constitutional duty to protect me. I don’t need any security in my house or to follow me. And anybody who makes an attempt, he will have himself to blame”.
Mr Amidu also revealed that his kinsmen were ready to come down south in his defence.
“People have called and want to come in truckloads from Bawku and I told them that what they are hearing is not true because, as a citizen of Ghana, I’m entitled to say my mind and defend the Constitution”.
He wondered why there is so much vitriol against him from people in government following his release of the Agyapa report.
“The fact that you are in government doesn’t mean that when you are dissatisfied about a report, you go after the person or the fellow”, he said, revealing: “The Minister of Finance has been my friend for years; why will I go for him? When I was writing the report, didn’t he come to this house? Was he not here on 21 October? What did I tell him? Why is he now churning our information about me and targets and all that? Should I come out? Let’s stop it and I say let’s stop it before we wash dirty linen in public”.