Confusion has erupted within the upper ranks of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) as top officers engage in a bitter feud marked by accusations and counter-accusations.
Reports available to The Herald, indicate that a September 9, 2024, operational briefing for Service Commanders devolved into chaos, with an atmosphere reminiscent of the biblical betrayal of Jesus Christ by one of His disciples, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.
At the center of the storm, is the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, who unexpectedly entered the briefing at General Headquarters in Burma Camp, Accra, and accused the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training, Major General Joseph Aphour, of reporting him to the Commander-in-Chief, President Nana Akufo-Addo, for allegedly plotting a coup d’état.
Eyewitnesses described how the atmosphere became tense and silent, following the CDS’s explosive allegations.
Major General Joseph Prince Osei-Owusu, the Chief of Staff (COS), who had been presiding over the meeting for Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah, was forced to abruptly end it, as the situation spiraled into disorder.
During the confrontation, Maj. Gen. Aphour, attempted to respond, but was shut down by Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah, who ordered him to “shut up” in the presence of the Navy, Army and Ghana Air force Commanders.
Sources inside the meeting, revealed that Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah, in his previous role as Chief of Army Staff, had stationed soldiers from the 64 Infantry Regiment to provide VVIP protection to various high-profile figures, including the President, Vice-President, Electoral Commission (EC) Chairperson, Ministers of State, Presidential staffer, some parliamentarians and family members of the President.
The Herald learnt that, the root of the conflict, allegedly stems from claims that Maj. Gen. Aphour, had informed President Akufo-Addo that Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah, had built a clandestine network among the soldiers providing VVIP protection, allegedly intending to use them to stage a coup.
Some sources say that, Aphour made these accusations during Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah’s tenure as Army Commander, hoping that the President would remove Oppong-Peprah and promote him instead. Others claim the allegations surfaced more recently.
The meeting, originally delayed by the CDS due to his attendance at a presidential meeting, took a dramatic turn when he entered and dropped the bombshell in the presence of the other senior officers, including Major General BK Onwona, the Army Commander formerly an aide-de-camp (ADC) to the President, leaving the GAF leadership in disarray.
Interestingly, while some told The Herald, that Major General Aphour’s story to the President Akufo-Addo, happened when Lt Gen Oppong-Peprah, was the Army Commander, and he was hoping that the Commander in Chief, was going to remove him and hand him – Aphour- the job, others told The Herald that the allegation against Oppong-Peprah, was made recently.
The CDS, who felt terribly betrayed by Maj. Gen. Aphour, was heard shouting on top of his voice, reminding the General Officer Commanding, Central Command, Kumasi of how he saved him, referencing his scandal about extorting money and the sale of Peacekeeping slots to soldiers at over US$8000 in connivance with a certain Warrant Officer Class One (WO1), Sule.
The extortion case was investigated by the Defense Intelligence with recommendation for Military court-martial by the officer Brigadier-General Foster Okae-Yeboah, but both Lt Gen. Oppong-Peprah and Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, stepped in to scuttle the military trial, and rather pushed Aphour’s promotion which at the time was stalled by the scandal.
On the day of the confrontation, the CDS, was said to have delayed the regular Monday Ops Briefing, because he had been summoned by President Akufo-Addo.
But he eventually surfaced at the tail end of the briefing, and requested to make some comments. It was at this stage that he threw the bombshell in the presence of Aphour.
The Herald has received multiple messages from its military insiders given the same account of event between the two senior officers.
Source: theheraldghana.com
