{"id":597462,"date":"2019-03-08T19:15:11","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T19:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says the Osu Castle is not a security zone <\/p>

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Government has denied that the <\/span>Christiansborg Castle, popularly known as the Osu Castle, is a security zone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, in a statement said the property which used to be the seat of government for many years is neither an annex of the presidency.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIndeed it is a facility operated by the Museums and Monuments Board, after President Akufo-Addo, on March 5, 2017, tasked the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to spearhead its transformation into a museum.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe general public may refer to news items of March 5, 2017, the date on which President Akufo-Addo gave that directive,\u201d the statement added.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The denial comes on the back of a Joy News documentary which revealed how a pro-New Patriotic Party militia group <\/b>is being trained as the Osu Castle.<\/span><\/p>\n

The undercover work carried out by Manasseh Azure Awuni, disclosed how a former bodyguard of the president led the training of the militia group, De-Eye, on the grounds of public property.<\/span><\/p>\n

Operating for the past two years, Manasseh found that the group had already provided security for a number of government functions of which the president had\u00a0taken part in.<\/span><\/p>\n

A leader of the group, Nana Wireko Addo in the undercover work, after one of such functions, conveyed President Akufo-Addo\u2019s warm impressions of\u00a0the group when they provided security for an event at the International Conference Centre in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Members of the group, dressed in black suits with white shirts during one of their meetings\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The documentary has come as a shock to the nation, especially at a time when President Akufo-Addo has himself tasked the two leading political parties \u2013 NPP and NDC \u2013 to meet and find a solution to the party militia menace in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Minority in Parliament are calling for the immediate resignation of the President saying he has \u201clost all moral right\u201d to occupy the highest office of the land.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

But the government will have none of that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kojo Oppong Nkrumah<\/b><\/p>\n

At a press conference, Mr Oppong Nkrumah, who is also MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi denied among other things that the young men and women who converge\u00a0at the Castle thrice a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday \u2013 are\u00a0a militia group under training.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

He added that describing the Castle as a security zone as was done by Manasseh in his documentary, is upsetting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe narrative in Manasseh\u2019s promotion, in particular, that connotes the Castle, Osu, as a \u201cSecurity Zone\u201d, which is being used to train militia and vigilantes, is most worrying,\u201d the Minister said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, if this group was still operating from the Castle, wouldn\u2019t the Commission of Inquiry currently looking into the events at the Ayawaso West Wuogon election have noticed them by now,\u201d he queried.<\/span><\/p>\n

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