On the day he was recalled from forced leave, I had a very interesting telephone conversation with the new deputy director of police education, ACP Kofi Boakye. He was quite nice – and unexpectedly so and he wanted us to meet for a chat, so he could explain his side of the MV Benjamin case to me.
I agreed and we did meet, along with Israel Laryea and Papa Kow Acquaye, both of Joy FM. It was quite a frank and open exchange. We asked questions and he answered them all – off record! He didn’t even want me to take notes.
So, essentially, I am not supposed to report on any of the things he told me. And I didn’t even want to write about it. But I made a promise after my first telephone conversation with Kofi Boakye that I will let my readers know about what was ‘cooking’. That meeting with him was what was cooking. Sadly, I can’t let you in on most of the details – even though, I am dying to. I made a bigger promise to Mr. Boakye and I am going to keep it.
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All I can say now, though, is that Mr. Boakye tried to make the over-flogged case that he was on an undercover operation when he met the suspected drug barons in his house and that he is not the rogue officer the MV Benjamin case has made him out to be. I still have a lot of lingering doubts about his claims but then he asked that I (and all Ghanaians, for that matter) should be kind enough give him the benefit of those doubts.
I don’t know about you, but I will most grudgingly oblige. After listening to Mr. Boakye, pondering for two weeks over the things he told me and speaking to a few others about the MV Benjamin case, I have come to the conclusion that there is more to this scandal than anyone in the know cares to publicly admit. If they did, a lot of things in this country would be turned upside down. That is one of the reasons why Kofi Boakye was never called into the dock in connection with the case and that is why he has his job back.
Whether for good or ill, only time will tell. But I am not ready to hold my breath. From the little I know, however, I think he is better off outside the police service and the police service is better off without him.
