4 NIA officials, one other arrested for alleged registration offences

Four officials of the National Identification Authority (NIA) and one other, have been arrested for allegedly engaging in various offenses in the ongoing Ghana Card registration exercise in the Ashanti Region.

They are named as Kenneth Sarfo Boateng, Commissioner for Oaths, Church of Christ Registration Centre, Nyinampong, Asante-Mampong, Ransford Omane Osei, Mobile Registration Workstation Officer, Ampaabame Registration Centre, near Ejisu, De-graft Osei-Mensah , Supervising Registration Officer, Kentinkrono M/A Registration Centre at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST), Emmanuel Edusei Poku, District Registration Supervisor, Kentinkrono M/A Registration Centre at KNUST and Kwabena Dan, a resident of Nyinampong in the Asante-Mampong Municipality.

The arrest was made between January 3 and 6, this year, as a result of joint efforts between the NIA and some aggrieved citizens in the Ashanti Region.

A police source indicated that in the case of Emmanuel Edusei Poku and De-graft Osei Mensah, they were picked up by the KNUST District Police Command for flouting the rules of registering students of the Primo Aviation College at night.

Fourteen students of the school were also arrested on Monday for interrogation.

Checks by the Ghanaian Times revealed that the NIA officials were contracted by management of the school to undertake the exercise.

When interrogated, the students told the police that the NIA officials came to the school at 7:00PM to register them for the Ghana Card, but the students, however, denied having paid any money to the NIA officials.

Meanwhile, a statement signed by the Head of Corporate Affairs of the NIA, ACI Francis Palmdeti, and sighted by Ghanaian Times, indicated that all the named suspects have been granted a police enquiry bail as part of investigations.

“Management of NIA is satisfied, following administrative procedures, that the conduct of the afore mentioned Registration Officials is in breach of the relevant provisions of the Public Services Code of Conduct,” it said.

According to the statement, “Management has further determined the said conducts also constitute an egregious violation of applicable internal rules and regulations governing the conduct of NIA officials.

“Accordingly, the Executive Secretary of the NIA, Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafua, has directed the immediate dismissal of the said officials,” the statement further indicated.

FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI