Bugri Naabu: Everything on plot against IGP audio is authentic

The Paramount Chief of Namong in the North East Region in the Mamprugu Kingdom, Mr Daniel Bugri Naabu, has admitted that his voice is part of voices in the conversation of an alleged plot to remove Dr George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector General of Police (IGP). 

The truth is that the tape is there and the voice there is my voice with the three others I spoke with, he stated.

The former Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) also revealed that he hired someone to secretly record the conversation.

Answering questions at a public hearing when he appeared before Parliament’s seven-member bi-partisan Committee Bugri Naabu explained that he hired somebody who knows how to do the recording to perform the duty using ‘ordinary tape’ he procured at the mall.

Mr Bugri Naabu, mentioned one Commander Asare, based at Police Depot, a Commissioner of Police called Mensah, and Gyebi, Gyebi  a Police Superintendent based at the Police Headquarters as the other three voices he engaged in the conversation with at his office in Osu. 

According to him, the two senior officers approached him with an agenda to advocate for the removal of the IGP.

He said police officers told him that the reason behind their request was that Dr Damapre’s actions were perceived to align more closely with the interests of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), thereby, potentially undermining the ruling party’s chances in the upcoming 2024 elections. 

According to him, the request by the top officers scared him, hence his decision to record them to make it difficult for any denial. 

Mr Naabu explained that he recorded the conversation because of how crucial the issues being discussed were and to have evidence to present to the President to protect the NPP.

He said: “The reason for recording this tape is that they are coming to tell me to go and tell the President something…and it is either I don’t go to tell the President and then I and my party suffer for it and if I also go to talk to the President, it is good to tell him the right thing and since I cannot keep everything they were telling me at that point, I had to record.

“I know if I go to the President and tell him something, and it turns not to be true, next time, he will not respect me.”  

He also indicated that a copy of the leaked tape was sent to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, however, he did not know who leaked it to the press. 

Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday, July 25, 2023, constituted a seven-member bi-partisan Committee to probe into a secret recording of an alleged plot to remove Dr George Akuffo Dampare, Inspector General of Police (IGP) from office ahead of the 2024 general election. 

The Committee, which has up to September 10, 2023, to report back to the House is made up of three members each from the Majority and Minority sides of Parliament, and a technical person. 

The committee is chaired by Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South with Mr James Agalga, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Builsa North as the Vice-Chairman. 

It has Mr Patrick Yaw Boamah, NPP MP for Okaikwei Central; Madam Ophelia Mensah, NPP MP for Mfantseman; Mr Eric Opoku, NDC MP for Asunafo South and Mr Peter Lanchene Tuobu, NDC MP for Wa West as members of the Committee. 

While Dr Isaac Lartey Annang, a lawyer and a human rights activist, is a technical person appointed by Mr Bagbin.