Security analyst Col. Festus Aboagye has slammed claims made by Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, calling them a “reckless April Fool’s saga” that could undermine national security.
Speaking on The KeyPoints on TV3 on April 12, Col. Aboagye dismissed the MP’s shocking allegation that two aircraft landed at Kotoka International Airport carrying suspicious cargo, possibly cocaine and U.S. dollars, as baseless and dangerously irresponsible.
April fool hoax
“This appears to be an April Fool saga. The honourable MP, Ranking Member, Defence and Security portfolio, is not an ordinary person on the street. If there is a credible threat to the security of this country, I don’t expect anybody of his calibre and stature to go to the media and inform them,” Col. Aboagye stated bluntly.
“The first elements that you want to get in touch with are the security structures of the state—a whole plethora of them, including that portfolio committee of Parliament,” he added.
Col. Aboagye also cast doubt on the source of Rev. Fordjour’s information, stressing that the MP does not work at the airport and must have relied on hearsay.
“I am asking him today, through this portal, who informed him? Was it one of the security elements—BNI/NIB or was it an external agent? Maybe a member of the diplomatic community. Who gave him that information?” he quizzed.
Although he acknowledged that the MP may have wanted to protect his source, Col. Aboagye was adamant that Fordjour must still offer proof.
According to him, the MP needs to give better particulars of the intelligence, and stressed that so far, he has been hedging adding, “Indeed, in several instances, he seems to suggest that the state agencies must come and brief him as a member of the portfolio committee. What is intelligence? What exactly was he told?”
The controversy erupted after Rev. Ntim Fordjour alleged at a press conference that two suspicious aircraft had landed in Accra with questionable cargo. His remarks were immediately dismissed by Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye-Ofosu, who called the allegations “completely false.”
“The aircraft landed in the country due to minor technical faults and other legitimate reasons,” Kwakye-Ofosu clarified.
In a dramatic twist, on April 9, officials from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) attempted to arrest Rev. Fordjour at his residence. According to Kwakye-Ofosu, the MP “refused to cooperate,” resulting in a tense standoff.
Even President John Mahama has weighed in, urging Rev. Fordjour to collaborate with the security agencies to get to the bottom of the issue.