The desire of two journalists in Kumasi to investigate allegations of abuse of office against the Mayor of Kumasi, Mr. Samuel Sarpong, turned sour as they were tongue-lashed by the mayor for daring to ‘interrogate’ him.
The two journalists – Nana Kofi Wusu Achiaw and Isaac Nsiah Foster – all of Otec Fm in Kumasi, were investigating circumstances surrounding an order supposedly from Mr. Sarpong to Kumasi Metropolitan City Guards to cross their boundary of operation and seize working equipment of some people in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region.
The mayor, who is said to have been sober at the beginning of the interview, suddenly got irritated by a question as to whether he was the one who instructed the city guards to use a state- owned Pick-Up with registration number GM 4442 Y, to go and stop the people working on the said land.
Some of the items seized, Today gathered, included wheel barrows, shovels, and bags of cement.
Mr. Sarpong is reported to have immediately gotten up from his seat and began verbally assaulting the two journalists, while his Special Assistant, Clement Kigeri, aided him by dragging and pushing the journalists out.
As if that was not enough, the mayor ordered a military man to call the journalists back further generating a scene with people doubting what the two had done to be pursued by a soldier.
When the two journalists were brought before the mayor, he continued his verbal attacks and gave the two no breathing space to explain themselves, and only allowing them to go after he was satisfied.
Investigations conducted by the paper unfolded that that there has been many litigations on the land, situated at Abuakwa Kegyase in the Atwima Nwabiagya District between the KMA mayor and one Mr. Raymond Kwofie, a former employee of Ghana Telecom for some time now.
Sources indicated that even the agent who sold the land to Anthony Anane Arthur has declared that he never sold that land to the mayor, but all was clear that the mayor was bent on taking that land by virtue of his position and influence.
Mr. Arthur is quoted to have said he sold the plot number 18 to Mr. Sarpong and not the plot 16 he was strongly laying claims to.
Today can authoritatively establish that the two journalists have been gagged by management of the radio station after some calls they received from ‘somebody’ and cannot comment further on their ordeal in the hands of the mayor and his security personnel.
The paper made several phone calls to the special assistant of the mayor for his reaction, but he never answered his phone.
STORY: FROM JAMES APPIAKORANG JNR., KUMASI A/R
