The Central Regional Police Command yesterday arrested two Ivorians and a Ghanaian in a Cape Coast hotel, linking them to an alleged plot to stage a coup d’etat in Cote d’lvoire.
The two Ivorians (names withheld), who are being held for further investigations, are a 27-year-old ex-sergeant in the Ivorian Army and a 40-year-old cook, who is a politician. Their Ghanaian counterpart is a 73-year-old former naval Captain with the defunct Black Star Line, Nana Emisa Mbrah.
Nana Mbrah, according to the police, is a native of Cape Coast.
Addressing the media on Monday, the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Stephen Andoh Kwofie, said on September 13, 2012, his outfit had information about two Ivorians lodging in a hotel in Cape Coast and who had held several meetings to procure arms to destabilize the Ouattara government.
According to him, it was agreed at the meeting by the two Ivorians that the arms they needed from their suppliers should include rifles and ammunition.
The police then organised some men in the early hours of Friday, September 14, 2012 to swoop on the hotel by disguising themselves as suppliers of the said arms.
He noted that the Ivorians requested that the disguised police should allow them to inspect the arms and ammunitions which were stocked in a vehicle.
The police commander added that during the inspection. The police quickly arrested the suspects and retrieved live AK 47 rifles and an assortment of ammunition.
Upon interrogation, the two Ivoirians mentioned the name of their Ghanaian counterpart, Mr. Mbrah, who is alleged to have a stake in the coup attempt.
DCOP Andoh Kwofie revealed that a thorough investigation and surveillance had been mounted nationwide to track down the remaining suspects.