A 37-year-old assemblyman for Kwabia in the Kintampo South District of the Bono East Region, Alfred Agandaa, also known as Tutu, has lodged a complaint with the police in Kintampo following a brutal assault allegedly carried out by thugs who, he claims, acted on the instructions of Unas Owusu, the regional chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Tutu is back on admission at the Kintampo Municipal Hospital, where he was previously treated and briefly discharged. Speaking over the phone on Thursday evening, he told Myjoyonline.com that he could hardly bear the pain.
However, Unas Owusu, the regional chairman, denied any knowledge of the incident when contacted by Myjoyonline.com. He attributed the allegations to detractors attempting to tarnish his reputation.
Alfred Agandaa’s body, particularly his back, is covered in bruises and cuts inflicted by the thugs, who, he said, posed as national security operatives.
He claims he was targeted for allegedly denigrating the regional party chairman over the whereabouts of some 200 out of 600 bags of rice said to have been recovered from a warehouse belonging to former MP and New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate in the 2024 elections, Alexander Gyan.
According to Agandaa, a known NDC activist, he was forcibly bundled into a Daewoo Matiz at the Yakam Hotel in Kintampo by about four men, including the driver, who claimed to be national security operatives.
[embedded content]Lured into a trap His captors had lured him to the hotel by informing him that the party’s regional secretary, Isaac Adaebsa, needed to see him there.
Upon reaching there, he recounted that they forced him into the vehicle drove him out of town towards Jema, enduring severe beatings along the way as they accused him of insulting key personalities in the constituency and the region, including the constituency and regional party chairmen.
He said they handcuffed him and subjected him to a brutal assault in a bush. As the beating continued, he overheard his captors saying they had been instructed to “finish him.” They stopped the car, got out, and marched him along a narrow path into the bush. Eventually, they halted among some mango trees near a stream, forcing him to kneel while still handcuffed, as the assault persisted.
One of his attackers, he alleged, received a phone call, during which he overheard the individual saying, “But chairman, you said we should finish him, and now you are asking us to bring him to the office?”
Agandaa said a passer-by, a man returning from his farm, chanced upon them and asked if he was a thief. The thugs, however, denied this, claiming instead that he was known for insulting elders in the town.
At about 6 p.m., in his weakened state and still in handcuffs, the thugs helped him back into the vehicle and drove him to the regional chairman’s office.
Tortured at the Chairman’s office At the office, he alleged that the heavily built thugs continued beating him, hitting and kicking him as the regional chairman watched.
Agandaa said the chairman merely remarked that assemblymen should not be deluded into thinking that Kintampo South belonged to them alone and warned that all other assemblymen would suffer the same fate. He then returned to his office.
The thugs subsequently marched Agandaa, still on his knees, and ordered him to apologise to the chairman. Following this, an aide of the regional chairman, identified as Abass, along with two others, intervened and pleaded for the assault to stop. They then locked Agandaa in an office to prevent further beatings.
While in confinement, Abass brought him a phone and told him that the Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, was on the line and that he should plead with her to apologise to the chairman on his behalf.
Agandaa recounted that he explained everything to the MP, who assured him she would intervene. Later, Abass brought the phone again, this time connecting him with the constituency chairman.
According to Agandaa, the constituency chairman, Robert Sakyi, also known as Chairman Slimmer, reprimanded him for insulting the regional chairman, adding that while he himself had often been insulted, he chose to ignore it.
Abass again urged Agandaa to plead with the constituency chairman to intervene on his behalf, which he did, prompting Slimmer to agree to speak with the regional chairman.
The alleged offence According to Agandaa, his ordeal stemmed from his opposition to plans by the constituency chairman to distribute the ‘seized’ rice. He and other assembly members had threatened to hold a press conference to expose the situation.
A meeting was held with the regional minister who wanted to understand the situation. However, Agandaa later recorded an audio message protesting the regional chairman’s presence at the meeting and alleging that, based on his conduct, he may have received some of the rice. He posted this audio in a group chat for the assembly members, urging them not to relent until the right thing was done—either the rice should be distributed to secondary schools or returned to the government.
Agandaa also insisted that if all else failed, they should proceed with the planned press conference.
He believes this message may have been perceived as an insult by the chairman, which, in turn, led to his brutal assault.
Reactions from party leadership
NDC Bono East General Secretary, Isaac Adaebsa Isaac Adaebsa told Myjoyonline.com that he received a call from his regional chairman on Wednesday, informing him that Agandaa had insulted him and that he had sent for him to be brought in for questioning.
Isaac said he asked the chairman if he had involved the police, but the chairman did not respond before ending the call. It was later that night that Agandaa contacted him to report his ordeal at the hands of the men the chairman had sent to fetch him.
Upon seeing Agandaa’s injuries, Isaac recommended that he seek a more thorough medical examination to check for internal bleeding.
MP Felicia Adjei
The Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, told Myjoyonline.com that while she was in Parliament on Wednesday, she received multiple calls until she eventually stepped out to answer one from Abass, whom she knew to be close to the regional chairman.
She was informed about Agandaa’s ordeal and asked to speak with him to encourage him to apologise to the chairman for his freedom.
After speaking with Agandaa and confirming the account, she was furious and demanded that he be set free, insisting that it was wrong for anyone to take the law into their own hands. She also recalled being told that the phone would be handed to the chairman for her to speak with him. However, she maintained that “whatever had happened was wrong,” and that Tutu (Agandaa) be freed.
She later contacted her election director to visit Agandaa and provide him with financial support.
MP Felicia Adjei promised to resolve the matter amicably, acknowledging that the constituency party had suffered too many internal disputes.
Kintampo South NDC Chairman, Chairman Slimmer
Chairman Slimmer, when contacted twice on the phone, asked for time to complete a meeting before commenting on the matter. However, he hinted at the need for caution when dealing with Agandaa.
Former MP Alex Gyan
Similarly, former MP Alex Gyan requested a later date to address the issue of the source of the rice.
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