Superintendent Emmanuel Gyebi, an implicated police officer in the case of a leaked tape purported to mastermind the removal of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), George Akuffo-Dampare, has said that he does not know former Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu, in any capacity.
“I don’t know him (Chief Bugri Naabu), I don’t have his number, and I have never met him before,” he told a committee tasked by Parliament to probe the matter.
This follows the claims by Mr Naabu that COP George Alex Mensah, Commander Asare and Supt Gyebi, who are senior police officers, had discussions with him about ousting the IGP.
Mr Naabu claimed that Supt Gyebi was supposed to meet him [Chief Bugri Naabu] at Afrikiko in Accra to proceed to a meeting with President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House.
But Supt Gyebi stated that he has not had any discussions with anybody to meet Chief Naabu at Afrikiko for any reason.
Supt Gyebi, who doubles as the Director of the Cybercrime Unit and Child Protection Digital Forensic Laboratory of the Ghana Police Service, explained that on the supposed set date to meet with Chief Naabu, he was in Koforidua for the funeral of his nephew, and nobody discussed such a meeting with him.
Addressing the committee on Monday, August 28, Bugri Naabu said his decision to record the conversation about the proposed plot to oust the IGP was to safeguard the interest of his party.
Mr Naabu, who confirmed the authenticity of the secret tape, indicated that his plan was to forward the tape to President Akufo-Addo.
“The reason for recording this tape is that they are coming to tell me to go and tell the President something that they know they are saying, and it is either I don’t go and tell the President and then I, and my party suffer for it, or if I also go to talk to the President, it is good to tell him the right thing, and since I cannot keep everything they were telling me at that point, it was very good to record, and I know the President, that if I go and tell him something and it turns out not to be true, next time he won’t give me respect,” he explained to the committee.
The content of the leaked tape generated a national discussion, considering the nature of the conversation with senior police officers involved.
Following public reaction, Parliament set up the committee, chaired by the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta-Akyea, to delve into the issue.
The panel is mandated to investigate the authenticity of the leaked tape and the intricate allegations that have captured the nation’s attention.
The committee is to submit its report on September 10.
