From time immemorial the Techiman Police Station has no cells for women. As a result of that women who offend the law and taken to the police station to be detained end up sitting at the ‘counter back.’
A year ago, one Alhaji Musah, a businessman led a team of philanthropists to initiate the construction of a befitting cells for the police station and it was done with water closet and a tiled bathroom to match.
Investigation conducted by DAILY GUIDE indicated that instead of using the place as intended by the philanthropists, the Techiman police are using it as a storeroom where seized motorbikes are kept. When DAILY GUIDE visited the place, about four hundred and forty motorbikes were found parked inside the newly completed cells.
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE on the basis of anonymity, a police officer said it has become a worry to all of them especially those who go on night duties because if a hardened criminal is brought to the station and she happens to be a woman, you cannot lock her up among the men and as such the only thing you can do is to let her sit at the ‘counter back.’ According to him if you are not lucky and she escapes, you as an officer on duty will be in trouble.
Further investigation conducted by the paper indicated that the 440 brand new motorbikes in the cells belong to one Kwadwo Adjei, an agent of one Meto Emile, a Togolese motorbike dealer. Kwadwo Adjei who also granted interview to DAILY GUIDE, said before he became an agent to the said Mr. Meto, the manager had two agents by name Agongo Jacob and Alhassan Issahaku who embezzled GH¢1,000,000 and the matter was reported to the police. He said in the cause of the police investigation, the police came for the 440 motorbikes and stored them in the newly constructed women’s cells.
According to Mr. Adjei, several attempts made by the complainant and himself for the police to release the motorbikes fell on deaf ears and as a result they had no option but to petition the Director General of CID in Accra to impress upon the Techiman police to release the motorbikes but nothing has been heard from the CID Director General till now. Mr. Adjei seized the opportunity to appeal to the IGP to impress upon the Techiman police to release the motorbikes while the case continues at the court.
FROM Eric Bawah, Techiman