The Ghana Police Service has denied social media posts claiming that Malik Basintale, the NDC’s Deputy National Communications Officer, is wanted.
The police issued a statement on Thursday, September 5th, describing the accusations as unfounded and asking the public to ignore them.
“We would like to emphasize that the claim is not true,” the statement stated. “The general population should therefore ignore it and give it the disdain it merits,” they said.
The Ghana Police Service has taken action to address several concerns in light of the heightened propagation of misinformation and disinformation leading up to the general elections on December 7th.
A video surfaced yesterday claiming the Kumasi Police Training School in the Ashanti Region was hosting a clandestine recruiting exercise; the police have since disputed the claims.
The police stated on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, that these accusations lacked merit. The 487 individuals detained on Monday, 2nd September, in relation to the QNET Ponzi scheme were identified in the statement as the ones observed in the training school.
As a result of a special operation in Kumasi on Monday, September 2, 2024, 487 individuals were apprehended by the police on suspicion of involvement with the QNET Ponzi scheme. As part of the investigation, the several suspects were brought to the training school for screening. The statement continued, saying that several National Democratic Congress (NDC) members had surrounded the training facility while the screening was going on, claiming to have heard rumors of clandestine recruitment taking place there.
Once again, the Ghana Police Service has asked the public to disregard these accusations, calling them unfounded and unimportant.
Ghana Police Service reacts to false claim
Law enforcement has dealt with similar allegations before. In July 2024, in response to allegations made by Peter Toboo, Member of Parliament for Wa West, the Ghana Police Service denied allegations of clandestine recruitment. Without informing the public, Taboo claimed, the National Police Training School was conducting recruitment.
The cops wasted little time in responding with a statement that denied the accusations.
On July 16, 2024, the Ghana Police Service issued a statement on remarks made by Mr. Peter Toboo, the Hon. Member of Parliament for Wa West, which claimed that the National Police Training School was conducting a recruitment exercise without prior public notice. The Police Service has not begun any activity of this kind, we are sorry to say.
It is unknown whether Toboo or the NDC members have evidence to back up their claims or where they got their information. According to the police, official communications are the only sources the public should follow for information about police recruitment.