Ten police officers have initiated legal proceedings to obtain a court injunction preventing the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) from relocating them from their current assignments.
The officers, spearheaded by Sergeant David Ojeyim, contend that the transfer orders issued by the Police Administration lack merit and justification.
Court filings indicate that these officers were enlisted for an intelligence-gathering mission under the supervision of Deputy IGP Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
Notwithstanding the transfer directives, Deputy IGP Yohuno reportedly instructed the officers to disregard the orders and continue in their existing roles.
The officers have been suspended pending a service investigation; however, the disciplinary proceedings are currently paused until the High Court adjudicates the ongoing judicial review.
In his affidavit, Sergeant Ojeyim stated that “in accordance with its constitutional authority to establish regulations for the execution of its functions and the effective management of the Ghana Police Service, the Police Counsel enacted the Police Service Regulations 2012 (C.I. 76) on August 15, 2012, which, among other provisions, facilitates the establishment of directorates and the assignment and delegation of responsibilities.
“Consistent with our roles as members of the Ghana Police Service assigned to the PID, ASP Alhaji Jalil Bawa informed me that the Deputy Inspector General of Police had directed me to assemble a team for an intelligence-gathering assignment. This directive was communicated on September 26, 2024. In compliance with the instructions from the Deputy Inspector General of Police, I recruited the following individuals, including myself and all other applicants, to carry out the intelligence-gathering task:
a. Sergeant Prince Owusu Fayosey
b. Sergeant Seidu Essilfie
c. Sergeant Alex Abah
d. Corporal John Yao Adzimagbor
e. Corporal Micheal Kwasi Avuyi
f. Corporal Huudu Muhammed Wumbe
g. Corporal Kabiru Mohammed
h. Corporal Hannah Antwi-Boasiako
i. Sergeant Prince Owusu Fayosey
j. IC/Inspector Alexander Odoi.
A meeting was convened at the residence of ASP Alhaji Jalil Bawa on September 27, 2024, to provide a briefing regarding the scope of the assignment. All enlisted personnel were in attendance, with the exception of Sergeant Prince Owusu Fayosey, Corporal Micheal Avuyi, and Corporal Huudu Muhammed Wumbe. Additionally, Sergeant Seidu Essilfie, the personal driver to the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidency, joined the meeting towards its conclusion.
Following the briefing, ASP Alhaji Jalil Bawa instructed me to establish a WhatsApp platform to facilitate effective communication among the team assembled for the assignment. The platform was created on the same day, and the names of the personnel designated for the task were added.
The deponent stated that on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at approximately 1400 hours GMT, Staff Officer ASP Mr. Julius Elemawusi Zodanu summoned me to his office. He informed me that DCOP Mr. Frederick Kwadwo Agyei had received a transfer signal from Headquarters and had been instructed to notify me, as my name appeared on the transfer list.
I received the transfer signal letter and signed it to confirm receipt. Upon reviewing the signal, I noted that all personnel who had attended the meeting at ASP Alhaji Jalil Bawa’s residence, as well as those added to the WhatsApp platform, were affected by the transfer. The majority were reassigned to remote locations in the Upper West, Upper East, and Western Regions, while only Sergeant Alex Abah was transferred to the National Operations Department at Headquarters.
Given that the team assembled for the assignment was under the direction of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, we informed him of the transfer signal on October 2, 2024. He instructed us not to comply with the transfer, deeming it dubious and lacking justification. He also directed us to make an entry in the station diary, which we duly executed.
As a result, he, along with Inspector Hamid Zakariah, arrived at the reception of the Police Intelligence Directorate at approximately 2150 hours GMT. They proceeded to make the required entries in the Station Diary as instructed by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, noting their inability to adhere to the transfer signal.
On 3rd October 2024, around 1100 hours GMT, the Staff Officer of the PID contacted me to convey that he had an important message. Upon inquiring about the source of the message, he informed me that it originated from the Chief Staff Officer. After our phone conversation, I promptly called Inspector Hamid Zakariah, who confirmed that he too had been summoned by the Staff Officer regarding an important message.
The two of us convened with the Staff Officer in his office, where he invited the Acting Station Officer, Chief Inspector Maxwell Atiiru, to serve as a witness before he began to read the message. As he commenced, we requested that he provide us with the letter or a copy, as the content pertained to us; however, he indicated that no copy was available for distribution. Sergeant Ojeyim further noted that the remaining applicants were subsequently informed of their interdiction.
