The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti region has rubbished claims Seidu Mba, one of the suspects in the kidnapping of the two Canadian women is a member of the party in the region.
Government has indicated that eight suspects including five Ghanaians and three Nigerians are being held over the crime.
Addressing a news conference in Kumasi on Thursday to counter the denial of Kumasi-based vigilante group, Delta Forces, that Seidu is a member of the group, the regional secretary of the NDC Kwame Zu said the lead suspect is a known NPP member in the Asawase constituency.
Social media had been awash, since the rescue operation Wednesday, with suggestions that Ghanaian suspect Seidu is a known member of the governing party-affiliated group.
In a statement, Delta force said: “It has come to the knowledge of the Delta Force Group that one bodybuilder in Kumasi, known in the airwaves as Seidu has been arrested by the Ashanti Regional police command in connection with the two Canadian girls kidnapped case, and he is being purported to be a member of our group.
“The Delta Force Group in the Ashanti Region would like to state unequivocally that the said culprit (Seidu), has never been a member of our group and he’s not part of us”.
The NDC’s Ashanti regional general secretary retorted otherwise, describing the frantic attempt to shelve the identity of the ringleader of the kidnapping syndicate as shameful.
“We have been deeply appalled and disgusted by government’s attempt to cover up the identity of the ring leader of the kidnapping syndicate that was arrested holding up the two Canadian nationals because of a certain element in the NPP/Akufo-Addo government that believe that in making known the identity of the ringleader they will be exposed and the real orchestrators behind the recent abductions will be known publicly,” he stated.
“It is a matter of public record that the ringleader of the kidnapping syndicate whose identity has been established, as one Seidu Yakubu alias Mba, is a known member of NPP’s Delta Force,” he added.
Meanwhile, a security analyst and Dean of the Academic Affairs of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso said it is worrying that the case is being politicized.
“Every criminal belongs to a certain political party anyway. Better put, every criminal vote for one political party or another. If we link the crime to politics, it only means we want to give crimes political colours,” he stated. “There is an issue if the political party tasked the person or people to embark on the criminal activity”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
