Sekondi-Takoradi MCE suspended over alleged assault

Accra, Feb 04, GNA – Government has suspended Mr. Abdul Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Sekondi-Takoradi Assembly, from office with immediate effect pending an inquiry into an alleged assault of a police officer on February 3, 2022.

A statement signed and issued by Mr Dan Botwe, the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), in Accra, on Friday, said the suspension was on the instructions of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The statement said without “prejudice to the matter now before court, Government took a very dim view of the comments made by the MCE during his exchanges with the Police.”

“The comments by the Chief Executive run contrary to the Government’s belief and work to ensure that our Security Agencies and indeed Public Agencies are resourced, empowered and accorded the respect to deliver on their mandates,” it said.

The statement said in the interim, Mr. Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, had been assigned additional supervisory authority over the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.

Mr Issah was arrested by the Western Regional Police Command on Thursday, February 3, 2022, for an alleged motor traffic offence, verbal assault and offensive conduct against a police officer who was performing his lawful duty.

The MCE has subsequently been charged on three counts of assault of a public officer, offensive conduct conducive to breaches of peace and disturbing the peace in a public place contrary to Sections 205, 207 and 298 respectively, of the Criminal and Other Offences Act of 1960, Act 29.

He has also been charged for Dangerous driving contrary to Section 1 of Act 683 of 2004 as amended by Act 761 of 2008.

GNA