COP SACKED ME FROM HIS OFFICE, WITNESS

A police informant on Thursday told the Accra Fast Track High Court that fugitive Detective Inspector Justice Oppong of the Accra Regional Police Headquarters sacked him from his office when he followed up on a cocaine arrest and said he (Oppong) even doubted the quality of the cocaine.
The informant, Michael Obeng Ntim, was testifying as the second prosecution witness in the case in which Constable Ekow Russel of the Accra Regional Police and Maxwell Antwi, a car dealer, are being tried for narcotic offences.
Constable Russell is facing three counts of possession of narcotic drugs, supply of narcotic drugs and dealing in prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs, while his civilian accomplice faces one count of possession of narcotic drugs without authority.
Constable Russel is also said to have admitted the offence and stated that the cocaine had been taken from certain Nigerian dealers in Tema on January 16, 2007.
The policeman is said to have led a team to effect the arrest of the Nigerians, Sebastian Uba and Matthew Nkumado, during which eight slabs of the substance were seized but he delivered only one slab to the office to make a case against them.
On January 31, 2007, Uba mysteriously escaped from Constable Russel when he had been instructed to send the Nigerian from the La Police Station to the Regional Police Headquarters.
The witness gave an account of how he had been informed by some Nigerians at his chop bar in Accra to assist them to get a policeman to arrest some brothers of theirs who had imported cocaine to Tema.
Following that, Ntim said, he informed Constable Russel about the deal and that led to the arrest of the dealers.
Led in evidence by Mrs Evelyn Keelson, a State Attorney, the witness said three days after the operation on January 15, 2007, he went to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters when Russel was not telling him anything about the reward.
He said when he told Russell that he expected some form of reward after giving the information, Russell told him that he had handed the case to his superior officer, Inspector Oppong, and that the suspects were in custody.
“When I went to Nana Oppong (Inspector Oppong), he drove me away but I told him to listen to me, since he did not know me. After listening to me, he said he had not sent anybody to arrest cocaine dealers so I should go and bring Russell, who confirmed my story.
“Nana Oppong told me the cocaine that Russel brought to the office was only one slab but I told him that eight slabs were seized. He told me Sebastian had been sent to court and that there was no reward for me,” Ntim said through a Twi interpreter.
According to him, he later read in the newspapers that a Nigerian had been arrested with one slab of cocaine in Tema.
Ntim said one month after the publication, he received a telephone call to report at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters where he recounted the story to the authorities.
In a background to the incident, Ntim said he had been at his chop bar on January 15, 2007 when three Nigerians came to eat, during which they sat with him and told him about the deal involving their brothers.
He said since he knew Russel, he called him and arranged for a meeting at the Kaneshie Sports Complex, where Russell met with him and the Nigerians.
The witness said Russell told them that since the issue was above him, he was going to inform his superiors and later call back.
He said at about 4.00 p.m. that day, Russell called to say that he had discussed the issue with his superiors and that the Nigerians and he (Ntim) should meet them on the Accra-Tema Motorway, near the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, to go to Tema to effect the arrest.
“While waiting there, Russel came with five other policemen in a Benz car and we left for Tema, but while we were there another vehicle driven by Capito came and Russell joined it.
“On reaching the Tema end of the Motorway, Russell asked the police car to park under a tree, while the third car and ours took the Aflao road to a filling station where Russell alighted, together with those in the car, to meet two persons.
“After about 30 minutes Russell came back and I asked whether they had been able to arrest the suspects but he replied that the area was dark and, therefore, we left and agreed to come the next day,” he said.
He said on the next day, they went back to the place and arrested the suspects and headed back to Accra. At the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, they all alighted and Russell removed the handcuffs from one of those arrested and instead handcuffed Sebastian and Matthew.
Ntim said some of them joined the same vehicle heading for Accra but on reaching the Survey Department area one person alighted and that on the way Russell shifted to Hausa.
According to him, the vehicle parked and Russell opened the boot and brought out the eight slabs of cocaine and gave five to three persons, including Capito, and put the rest in a certain briefcase.
He said after that, Russel took a taxi and asked that they meet at the Kata Hotel. But Russel never turned up, compelling him to call him several times but he failed to respond.
He said when he did not hear from Russel for three days, he went to the Regional Police Headquarters and called him.