The South African High Commission has initiated diplomatic contacts with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to grant it access to the three captured South Africans who are in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
The BNI picked up the trio on Sunday for allegedly engaging in “acts that threaten the country’s security”.
According to Joy News sources, the Commission wants to pick the fingerprints and DNA details of the three to cross check in South Africa in a bid to establish their true identities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to grant the request of the Commission by close of business Tuesday, Joy News has gathered.
The Commission said getting access to the three ex-police men will enable it to gain first-hand information from Johannesburg on how they entered Ghana, the type of visa issued to them and whether they are affiliated with any security company in South Africa as they have claimed.
On March 20, BNI officials arrested the three ex-police officers in a Central Region town for engaging in suspicious acts deemed as a threat to national security by Ghana security officials.
The three men, Major Ahmed Shaik Hazis (Rtd.) 54, WO/Denver Dwayhe Naidu (Rtd.) 39, and Captain Mlungiseleli Jokani (Rtd.) 45 were picked up at the El Capitano Hotel in Agona Duakwa.
According to a BNI report on the suspects, “The trio, all ex-police officers were engaged in training fifteen young men in various military drills, including unarmed combat, weapon handling, VIP protection techniques and rapid response maneuvers”.
The BNI has disclosed that its arrest of the South African nationals is in consonance with the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 1996 (ACT 526).
The Act in section 12 (1d) states that the security agencies have the responsibility to “protect the State against the activities of persons, both nationals and non-nationals, intended to overthrow the governmetn of Ghana or undermine the constitutional order through illegal political, military, industrial or other means or through any other unconstitutional method; and (e) perform such other functions as may be directed by the President or the Council.”
During interrogation Hazis, leader of the three allegedly disclosed to BNI officials that they were flown into Ghana from South Africa by one Capt. Koda, head of security detail for Nana Akufo-Addo, the opposition NPP’s presidential candidate in the November polls.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has refuted reports the three are mercenaries brought into the country by the party to disrupt the upcoming elections.
The BNI had stated in its report that it found, “a comprehensive report on the operations of Superlock Technologies Ltd (STL)” — a company contracted to work for the Electoral Commission — in the possession of Hazis.
The NPP says that report by the BNI and state-owned Daily Graphic are false describing them as packs of propaganda designed to improve the fortunes of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking to Joy News, Deputy Communication Director, Perry Okudzeto said the trio were invited into the country to train the party’s security operatives to enable them beef up security around their flagbearer and his running mate.
“We are training our security people to be able to engage in crowd controlling and to protect the flagbearer as well as the running mate,” he said.
He also said the three South Africans are ex-police officials and have the credentials for training security operatives for government functionaries across the world including former South African Presidents, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki.
However, Joy News sources have confirmed that any form of training in the area of crowd management and control have been vested in the Ghana Police Service which has a separate unit for that purpose.
No institution has the right to do so without the notice of the Ghana Police Service and the Interior Minister, Joy News resource persons have explained.
