A 45yr old dismissed driver of the Ghana Police Service, Lance Corporal Kennedy Twumasi has made a passionate plea to the Police Administration to reinstate him into the Service for justice to be served. Recounting his ordeal to crimecheckghana, the dismissed Lance corporal says he was a victim of a set up allegedly orchestrated by his own friend, Sarpong who threatened to teach him a lesson after the said friend accused him of being behind his arrest and the subsequent collapse of his weed business at Tain in the Brong Ahafo region.
“My friend promised to show me where power lies after accusing me of pushing for his arrest”. He told crimecheckghana. The teary former policeman said, ” I was in my room when some policemen entered claiming my boss Robert Ayalingo has asked them to conduct a search. I didn’t understand why my boss will call for such a search, so I initially thought it was a joke. When I thought the search was over, one of the policemen suddenly brought out a small parcel in a polythene bag behind my fridge and accused me of keeping weed in my house. I was shocked to the marrow”, he said. ” Suddenly I recounted how my friend had threatened to teach me a lesson, so I knew the promised time had come. I felt like killing myself. I just didn’t know what to do”.
The shocked dismissed Lance Corporal told crimecheckghana. Twumasi said he was eventually arrested and charged with possession of a narcotic substance suspected to be weed. He was remanded for two years at the Sunyani Central Prison and consequently given a ten year prison sentence. ” I cried like a child after the charge. I just couldn’t believe what was happening to me. My boss whom I thought will come to my aid appear to have sided with my accuser”. Twumasi alleged that, “the judge who presided over my case told my mother I am innocent in the case but my boss Robert Ayalingo had asked him to ensure I was jailed. The judge eventually asked me to appeal the sentence at the Appeals court and took three thousand cedis from my Mother. The Appeals Court judge also took five thousand cedis from me as bribe before setting me free. Why should I be treated as a criminal when I have done virtually no wrong”. He told crimecheckghana amid sobs.
Mr Twumasi says the saddest day of his life is the day he was being sent to prison. ” Some of the prisoners I had personally taken to prison in my police vehicle for charges relating to possessing weed jubilated on seeing me. I wept bitterly all because I had committed no crime. I am appealing to the Police Administration to take another look at my case.
“I am also appealing to Ghanaians to help me pay the cost of my legal fees to enable me quash the criminality associated with my conviction”.