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Tamale's Raging Inferno

Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
NEWS
December 13, 2004
Posted to the web December 14, 2004

By Edmond Gyebi
Tamale
The NDC campaign team for 2004 elections was alleged to have been a brain
behind almost all the violence, confusions and other public disorders that
occurred in the Tamale Metropolis and a sponsor of dangerous weapons to rebels
in the metropolis.
The Chronicle investigation team uncovered different versions of opinion in the
matter. Some eye witnesses the paper interviewed revealed that, Issah Mobilla
on the 9th December around 10:00 a.m. pulled out a sack full of 'stuff' from
one car into his private BMW with registration number GR 2772 Q, which they
suspected to be dangerous weapons, since that was not his first time of
exhibiting such action.
It was alleged that, upon receiving the information by some unknown persons the
joint forces of the military and police mounted a thorough search for the said
person, through which he was arrested later in the day and kept behind police
cells.
The Chronicle gathered that after the police interrogations Issah Mobilla was
handed over to the Military, who eventually transferred him to the Kamina
Military Barracks here in Tamale, where his death occurred.
In an interview with the NPP Constituency Secretary for the Tamale Central,
Sham-Una Ghazi, he told The Chronicle that he was reliably informed that Issah
Mobilla died as a result of heart failure when the elections result was
announced in favour of NPP, adding "he was not murdered by any person as had
been speculated by the NDC flag bearer, Prof Evans Atta Mills".
He confirmed that one GPRTU driver whose name has been withheld for security
reasons came to inform him that he was entering into the yard, one man
signalled him to go out because he had seen Issah Mobilla holding a sack full
of certain things which he suspected to be guns and was suspicious that they
wanted to cause trouble in town.
However, in a press release issued and signed by the NDC regional Secretary,
Alhaji Abudulai Harruna demanding the government to set up an independent
commission of enquiry into the circumstances leading to the arrest, detention,
transfer of the late Issah Mobilla to the Military and the subsequent death.
The leadership of the NDC is not happy about the issue and have also called for
an immediate halt to the indiscriminate arrest, intimidations and brutality
against some innocent citizens in the Metropolis.
The statement reminded the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to at all times
follow the right process of the law and also expressed concern about the use of
military in handling issues that are constitutionally preserved for the police.
Explaining their side of the story in the release, the NDC executives noted
that, Issah Mobilla accordingly reported himself to the BNI in the company of a
representative of the Regent of Gukpegu when he was informed that the BNI
officers in connection with the arrest of his BMW car wanted him.
According to the release, no offence was found against him by the BNI who
interrogated him in the presence of the Regional Police Commander and
accordingly advised him to follow the commander to the police station to
collect his car. He was surprisingly taken into police custody under the
directive of the regional crime office.
"We are aware that the incident that led to the invitation and arrest of the
Late Issah Mobilla was as a result of a reported sporadic shooting at Worezehi,
a suberb of Tamale.
We were informed that one Alhaji Tanko the NPP Constituency Chairman of the
Tamale Central was involved in the shooting, but to our surprise and dismay,
Alhaji Tanko is roaming the streets of Tamale freely, while the NDC party
functionaries, supporters and sympathizers have become targets of military
arrest and intimidation with late Issah Mobilla being a victim" the statement
noted.
The NDC Executives however, in the release, challenged the police to explain to
them without any delay, why the police should allow a suspect who had handed
himself voluntarily to the police to be handed over to the military without
police escort and why the police could not intervene when the soldiers were
subjecting beatings and other forms of brutalities on the deceased.
When the Regional Police Commander was contacted he refused to comment on the
issue and said that police investigations were still underway.

   

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