Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin
The Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has raised concerns over what he describes as an attempt by the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to frustrate and intimidate former appointees of the erstwhile Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration.
Speaking at a press conference organized by his caucus on Thursday, March 20, 2025, the Minority Leader accused the government of using party elements recruited into National Security to harass former New Patriotic Party (NPP) appointees.
According to him, the operatives, whom he described as “hungry,” engaged in acts of thievery and robbery during their recent raids on the private residences of their targets.
“At dawn yesterday, specifically at 5 a.m., Richard Jakpa was at it again. This time, he led armed men to the residence of Dr. Addison, the former Governor of the Central Bank.
“According to Jakpa, he had a permit to search the residence of Dr. Addison at his Roman Ridge home. When Dr. Addison inquired further, Jakpa told him they were looking for a vault, which they believed contained cash.
“They forced their way in, overpowered the security, and entered his premises. In fact, at the end of their raid, they could not find anything. Unfortunately for the Governor, some ten thousand cedis on his bed could not be found. Some of these hungry party foot soldiers they use—who parade themselves as National Security operatives—are perhaps not being paid, and so use this opportunity to steal.
“The Governor’s wife’s earrings and necklaces were also missing; they couldn’t be found. In other words, those operatives stole these earrings and necklaces,” he stated while condemning the reported raid at the residence of the former Bank of Ghana Governor, Dr. Ernest Addison.
The Minority Leader called on President John Dramani Mahama to end the attacks on former appointees of the previous government and not risk creating a negative legacy for himself.
Ghana has recently witnessed a series of controversial security raids targeting the residences of high-profile former appointees of the Nana Akufo-Addo administration, which ended in January 2025 following the NDC’s victory in the December 2024 elections.
The first notable raid occurred on February 11, 2025, when armed individuals, some in military uniforms, stormed the Cantonments home of former Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta while he was reportedly abroad for medical treatment.
The motive remains unclear, though speculation initially pointed to the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which later denied involvement. CCTV footage identified the raid’s leader as Richard Jakpa, a former military officer and known NDC member.
Ofori-Atta declared wanted by the OSP in early February for alleged corruption, had his status lifted on February 18 after pledging to return voluntarily. He has since sued security operatives for trespass and breach of privacy.
The second incident took place on March 19, 2025, when approximately 20 armed men, led by Richard Jakpa—identified as the Director of Special Operations at the National Security Secretariat—raided the Roman Ridge residence of former Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Ernest Addison in Accra.
Dr. Addison, who served from 2017 to 2025 and managed financial sector reforms, was home during the dawn operation. The team, some in balaclavas and wielding AK-47s, is said to have disabled CCTV systems and demanded access to a supposed vault, which Addison denied existed.
These raids follow Mahama’s January 2025 inauguration and his establishment of the “Operation Recover All Loot” committee to probe corruption allegations from the prior administration.
The Deputy Presidential Spokesperson, Shamima Muslim, has defended the actions as part of ongoing investigations into former officials.
GA/SEA
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