Seidu Hudu Zanzeh
A MEMBER of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has told the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry how he was forced to consider himself to be a personnel of National Security due to severe beatings he received on the day of the violent Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
According to Seidu Hudu Zanzeh, even though he was captured in a video responding to people calling him NDC National Security, it was as a result of the beatings he received.
He said “that day I was beaten so mercilessly that my heart beats, so it happened that when they say security security, I will respond security.”
Again, he stated that “my Lord, I am not a national security but I do take care of somebody’s house and that’s the name they call me; security man, security man.”
He claimed to be a farmer and that on that day the Chairman of NDC at Ashaiman, Tony, asked him to convey soft drinks to the residence of Delali Kwasi Brempong, parliamentary candidate of NDC for the January 31, 2019 by-election.
He stated that he initially missed the residence of the parliamentary candidate and a little boy helped to take him to the house.
According to him, he was in a taxi with the soft drinks and when they got to the residence, they met chaos.
That, he said, was around 8:00am to 9:00am. He stated that the little boy helped him to discharge the drinks from the taxi.
He said men in black and brown trousers believed to be national security personnel came around.
He noted that there was an argument over a car key and pointed to a video shown during the hearings in which he said it was Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Sam George that promised to take the car key from the national security operatives.
He noted that he was injured during the incident and that he met other injured persons at the police station as a result of the violence on that day.
He claimed he had cuts on both sides of his head and also on his back from the beatings he received.
He stated that he sustained the injuries when he was at the place to share the drink, adding that he was chased, beaten up and his shirt torn up that day on the La Bawaleshie Presbyterian Junior High School Park.
According to him, it was when he was with the police that “some people came there” and started beating him up.
Mr. Zanzeh spoke in Hausa and had Detective Inspector Sulley Jallo interpret his testimonies in English.
He alleged that there were shootings on that day and that at a point he was arrested and sent to East Legon Police Station where he was issued with medical form.
He told the Commission that it took about an hour for the medical form to be issued to him.
BY Melvin Tarlue