Some Residents of Alajo and patrons of the Citadel Hospital say they are shocked over the discovery of guns and improvised explosive devices (IED) at the facility.
They said they never suspected that any illegal activity – production of weapons, was taking place there, adding that, the lesson to everybody was to become more alert in their various communities and neighbourhoods.
This was when a GNA team interacted with the residents during a follow-up visit to the location of the Hospital, where a joint security operation uncovered and retrieved a cache of ammunitions on Friday, September 20.
The Managing Director of the Hospital, Dr. Fredrick Yao Mac-Palm, is being held together with two other persons – Ezor Kafui, a manufacturer of local weapons, and Bright Allan Debrah Ofosu (aka BB or ADC) over alleged plot to destabilize the country.
Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Information Minister, in a statement issued on Monday, September 23, said Dr. Mac-Palm was one of the key suspects involved in a plot to destabilize the nation.
A container at the hospital, which was intended for use as an X-ray laboratory, had been turned into a workshop for manufacturing weapons.
The arrest of the suspects and seizure of the weapons followed an operation conducted by officers of the Defence Intelligence, Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service and the Bureau of National Investigation after a-15 month surveillance.
A middle-aged woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, told the GNA that her family often visited the hospital for medical attention but she never imagined that weapons could be manufactured there.
She described Dr. Mac-Palm as a ‘taciturn person who usually stayed indoors’.
Another resident, said given the nature of acts of terrorism as reported by the media across the world, one could not easily predict the intentions of anybody and therefore behoved every citizen to be vigilant and flag up any unusual activity to the security agencies.
The Hospital has since been closed to business but trading activities and other businesses in the neighbourhood remain brisk.
According to Dr Mac-Palm’s Facebook Account, he completed Bishop Herman College, Kpando, Volta Region, in 1985 and proceeded to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he completed in the year 1991.
He pursued further education at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, from August 1998 to June 2000.
He then studied Medicine at Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, USA.
The Information Minister’s statement, said the security agencies had neutralized an elaborate plan to destabilize the Government.
It added that they retrieved arms, explosive devices and ammunition from locations in Accra and Bawaleshie near Dodowa.
These included five locally manufactured pistols with magazines fitted on them, a foreign pistol with registration number PX154006, three locally manufactured pistol barrels and three smoke grenades.
Others were 22 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 9 x 7.62mm NATO AK47 rounds, two AK47 magazines and a long Knife at Citadel Hospital, Alajo, a suburb of Accra.
The joint security personnel also uncovered the outlined plan for the intended operation as presented by some soldiers at one of their meetings at Next-Door Resort.
They also retrieved seven mobile phones, two IPADs, two decoders, a modem, three tablets, a Ghanaian passport, two pen-drives, a voice recorder, a USB connector, machines and materials for manufacturing weapons.
At Bawaleshie near Dodowa, the joint security personnel also found 63 x 9mm NATO rounds.
The statement said surveillance on the activities of the persons involved in the planned attack commenced in June 2018, when Dr. Mac-Palm and Debrah Ofosu started organizing a series of meetings at the Next-Door Beach Resort, in Teshie, and other locations in Accra, in furtherance of their objectives.
Between June and August 2018, BB, acting for and on behalf of Dr. Mac-Palm, contacted a number of serving military personnel, and talked them into hatching, and executing a plot to obtain weapons, take over key installations and secure funding for the purpose of taking over the reins of government.
In August 2018, Dr. Mac-Palm and two others, Kennedy Amoah and Dr. Albert Sam (based in the USA) formed a group called “Take Action Ghana” (TAG), under the guise of mobilising the youth for nation-building, education, health, and providing shelter to the needy.
Available evidence showed the intent was to build a support base of youth and radicalise them against the political authority in Ghana, it said.
In furtherance of this scheme, Dr Mac-Palm contracted one Mr. Ezor from Alavanyo to produce locally made weapons and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) for the operation.
In July 2019, Mr. Ezor set up a workshop in a container, originally used as an X-Ray laboratory, at the premises of
Citadel Hospital, and started producing the weapons and IEDs in-house.
On 10th September 2019, Dr. Mac-Palm and Mr. Ezor procured from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, some essential chemicals to be mixed with gun powder, stone chippings, surgical needles and powdered pepper for their operations.
Dr Mac-Palm also contracted a worker at the Base Workshop in Burma Camp to supply 10 AK 47 riffles and made an advance payment of GH¢7,000.00.
On Thursday, 19th September 2019, at about 2300 hours, still under surveillance, Dr. Mac-Palm, Mr. Ezor, and one soldier went to an area close to the Laboma Beach to test some of the locally manufactured weapons.
The IEDs and all the exhibits are currently in the custody of the BNI, whilst investigations are being carried out for further action.
GNA
