On November 10, 2014 a lady with
multiple names and nationality was
arrested at the Heathrow Airport,
London for carrying about 12.5kg of
cocaine into the United Kingdom
(UK). Nayele Ametefeh, Ruby Adu
Gyamfi, Ruby Appiah, Irene Tawiah
or Angel are all applicable names
and refer to the same person.
She is certainly not the first person
to smuggle the banned white
substance into the UK neither is she
a champion in the business. She is
but another donkey that facilitates
the movement of narcotics from one
place to another. To say she was
used by her paymasters may be
pushing it too far since Ruby,
Nayele, Irene, Angel; Nayele for now
has acquired millions of cedi worth
landed properties all over Accra and
in other parts of the country
including Pease her hometown.
Although Nayele is not the first
Ghanaian to come close to bringing
the banned substance into the UK
the circumstance and drama of her
being the courier and the manner of
transport opens a Pandora's box
every Ghanaian will love to see the
bottom of.
A ‘commoner’ like myself, Nayele
had access to and used the VIP
lounge of the Kotoka International
Airport, otherwise normally reserved
for prominent persons, on her trip in
the company of two other friends.
News initially had it that she used
the VVIP lounge but this was
roundly and quickly debunked by
the Minister of Communication. Call
it the VVIP or VIP lounge, a directive
had come from some influential
person that this lady deserved a roll
out of the red carpet and all pre-
departure curtsies at the airport, and
where else to begin than in the VVIP
or VIP lounge.
As Nayele now whiles away
‘business’ time in detention the
leading opposition National Patriotic
Party (NPP) has finally found golden
opportunity to confer on the ruling
National Democratic Congress (NDC)
the title of ‘cocainist party’ which
was once its accolade or albatross
for close to a decade during which
it was euphemistically renamed the
‘narcotics people party’ by
detractors.
It was subsequent to an arrest in the
United States of Eric Amoateng, then
an NPP sitting Member of Parliament
(MP) for Nkoranza North, for illegal
possession of 136 pounds of heroin
found buried in a cargo containing
seven boxes of pottery that
Amoateng and an ally had gone to
inspect after delivery at an American
Self Storage location on November
12, 2005. Nayele is of course not an
MP let alone an NDC sitting
member, but the equalization is on
course.
Very early on in the brouhaha
surrounding her arrest the ‘Cocaine
Lady’ was described as a close
friend of the first family of homeland
Ghana, but the allegation or rumour
was soon found to be without an
iota of truth. As if this was not
enough the MP for Assin Central,
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong came out
to identify Nayele as a girlfriend of
Ibrahim Mahama, brother of the
sitting President and a known
financier of the NDC. Ibrahim who
probably did not analyse critically
the words used in making that claim
came out quickly to say he is not a
cocaine dealer as if someone said he
was.
A controversial person like Kennedy
Ohene Agyapong will even interprete
the snore of a ghost; he actually
came out to dare Ibrahim to be man
about what he professed as he is
ready to go down the gutters with
him. Ibrahim Mahama listened to
wise counsel to draw his tail in
between his hind legs like a timid
dog. After all every man is a man but
not every man needs to show
anything to prove his manhood.
More baffling were reports that the
MP of Nayele’s constituency in
Accra had gone to visit and console
the family in their time of crisis. If
the VVIP or VIP treatment at the
airport was not enough red carpet
then this was it. How could I think
she was a ‘commoner’ like myself? It
leaves one with the arduous task of
configuring the reasons or
justifications of this rather unusual
kind gesture of the honourable
lawmaker. Could it be that the MP is
just a family friend of the Ametefes?
But then again, news also filtered
through that the Foreign Minister
visited Nayele in her UK cell. How
come I mused? Before I could say
Jack further news reports suggested
that officials of the Ghana High
Commission in the UK also visited
Nayele and were following the trial
proceedings closely even though
the cocaine angel is said to have
traveled from Kotoka International
Airport on an Austrian passport.
I cannot imagine the thickness of
shame these misguided politicians,
not just the cocaine peddler, have
heaped on the faces of well meaning
Ghanaians out there and at home.
The Government of the day has
become restless since Nayele was
busted. The Narcotics Control Board
(NACOB) has been dissolved. The
Director at the Foreign Affairs
ministry and other suspects
including one Alhaji Dawood
Mohammed, the person whose
phone call reportedly paved way for
Nayele to use the VVIP/VIP lounge
have been arrested.
Some sources allege that Alhaji
Dawood Mohammed is a
businessman and contractor and
was awarded a contract in the
construction of the Flagstaff House
under the erstwhile President Kufour
administration. He has also been
identified as once upon a time
financier of the NPP albeit this has
been vehemently denied by
spokespersons of the party. A new
twist quickly emerged that the same
Alhaji Dawood founded the 'Zongo
for Mahama' group, which
canvassed votes for the President
during the 2012 general elections.
Meanwhile, the activities and
engagements of Nayele prior to her
arrest have become a topic of
interest to every Ghanaian.
About two months ago the 'cocaine
angel' was spotted among high
profile guests at the wedding
ceremony of popular broadcaster
Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD) and his
partner Ophelia Crossland. Being a
journalist at the pro-NDC Radio Gold
and having the likes of James
Agyenim Boateng, former Deputy
Information Minister currently at the
presidency and Raymond Archer
Editor-in-Chief of the pro-NDC
Enquirer newspaper as colleagues it
comes as no surprise to see the wife
of the Vice President, Matilda
Amissah-Arthur, former Minister and
NDC legal brain, Tsatsu Tsikata and
son of the late President Mills
gracing such once in a lifetime
event. Luminaries of the opposition
NPP did not miss out either.
The likes of Nana Bediatuo and Mike
Ocquaye Jnr and a tall list of the
crème de la crème of the
entertainment fraternity answered
the roll call. A side attraction was
Sandra Ankobiah whose extravagant
lifestyle has become the most talked
about in showbiz lately.
As they say in America, we probably
‘ain’t seen nothing yet’. More
scandals are likely to unveil in
relation to Nayele’s export of the
white substance of the equivalent
weight of a quarter of Ghacem’s
cement bag. Until then it seems
obvious that the export of narcotics
is thriving business under the cover
of political colours. It just breaks my
heart to watch Kwame Nkrumah’s
and Kofi Annan’s Ghana and the
good name of this prestigious
nation dragged in muddy drugs.
At the end of the day, who stands
the risk of being denied visas to
other nations abroad? Who will be
subjected to harassment and
unwarranted surveillance on arrival
in foreign countries? Who stands the
risk of having his or her farm
produce and artifacts banned from
entering the world market? It is the
ordinary Ghanaian for whom party
colours have no meaning.
Just thinking aloud!
The writer is a Ghanaian ‘commoner’
in love with her country...
Comments
Post a Comment