Parliament's Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee and a presidential aspirant, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has emphatically stated that removing Dr. George Akuffo Dampare from his position as Inspector General of Police (IGP) would be a significant mistake on the part of the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr.
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Agyapong, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Assin Central and harbors aspirations to lead the NPP in the upcoming 2024 elections, underscored the remarkable performance of Dr. Dampare in his role as IGP, a performance that, according to him, is readily apparent to all observers.During a radio interview conducted on Kumasi-based Kessben FM over the weekend, Mr.
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Agyapong asserted that there has been a noticeable reduction in criminal activities such as robberies throughout the country since Dr. Dampare assumed the role of IGP. This declaration from Mr. Agyapong has emerged amidst heightened public interest in the activities of a special parliamentary committee, tasked with investigating an alleged conspiracy involving some senior police officers seeking to remove Dr.
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Dampare from his position, as purportedly captured in a recorded conversation.Mr. Agyapong passionately argued that Dr. Dampare ranks among the finest individuals to have ever held the position of IGP in Ghana's history, and as such, the government should resist any efforts aimed at ousting him from office.
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“How many times have you heard of armed robbery since Dampare was made IGP? People were being killed and their money was being stolen in broad daylight. How many times have you seen this since Dampare came into office? Under him, the rate of armed robbery has reduced drastically”, he said.
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He was of the view that the IGP was not being treated fairly, “Since I became the head of the Defence and Interior Committee, we have had a number of IGPs, and this man (Dampare), what he has done, I don’t think we are being fair to him… Don’t make the mistake of removing him.Mr Agyapong also said the IGP has transformed the police headquarters such that the place now looks so clean and beautiful.
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“I have called one of the guys (in the leaked tape) who is from my village and blasted him. We don’t like change,” he added.“If you go to the police headquarters, you will realize that the man (Dr Dampare) has done well… I have fought with him once because of his refusal to act when the killer of J.B. Danquah confessed to him, but he has done really well".
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