Professor Kenneth Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), has addressed the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of his own nephew, Mr. George Kwame Essien, who served as an Assistant Technical Enrollment Officer at the NIA’s Walewale office.
On Sunday, November 26, 2023, a team of Police Investigators from the CID Unit of the NIA Headquarters was dispatched to Walewale in the North-East Region to probe various allegations against Mr. Essien, including corruption, registration offenses, and breaches of the NIA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
In a statement released by Professor Attafuah, he revealed that his nephew had engaged in corrupt practices, such as accepting bribes, registering an ineligible foreigner, and forging the signatures of his office colleagues. These actions not only compromised the integrity of the National Identification System (NIS) Project but also tarnished the reputation of the NIA, the statement added.
Mr. Essien, upon his arrest on Monday, November 27, 2023, admitted his guilt and sought intervention from his uncle, Professor Attafuah, pleading for forgiveness. However, the Executive Secretary emphasized that while Essien may have his personal forgiveness, the law must take its course, especially for individuals deliberately working to undermine the state. “In the morning of Monday, 27th November 2023, when Essien was arrested by the Police, he sent me WhatsApp messages informing me of his calamity, admitting his guilt, pleading for forgiveness, and seeking my intervention to secure his release, with a promise not to ever repeat his misconduct.
He stated that he was a first-time offender, and that so many people depended on him. Apparently, Essien had forgotten that more than his people, the entire nation Ghana depended on him! “I told Essien to be a man and face the consequences of his actions. He misconducted himself in the manner he did, knowing fully well that I am his uncle and the Chief Executive Officer of the NIA! He ignored the potential adverse impact of his conduct on the nation, and the huge embarrassment the family would suffer.
I told him he may have my forgiveness, but the law cannot and must not forgive people like him who deliberately work to undermine the state,” he narrated, George Essien was subsequently charged with multiple offenses, including abetment of crime, forgery of documents, causing unauthorized interference with electronic records, and causing unauthorized modification of information in the NIA register. On November 29, 2023, he pleaded guilty to all counts before the Tamale District Court II, leading to his conviction and a seven-month prison sentence on count 2, and six months each on counts 1, 3, and 4.
The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently. Professor Attafuah stressed that justice would be swift, certain, and severe for any NIA employees or members of the public engaged in similar activities. He urged all NIA employees and the general public to uphold integrity, patriotism, nationalism, and lawfulness, emphasizing that breaches of NIA’s SOP would not be tolerated, regardless of the perpetrator. “A number of NIA employees and some members of the public are under investigation for allegedly engaging in corruption, registration offences, and breaches of SOPs of the NIA. They can be rest assured that the wheels of justice, no matter how slow it turns, will soon come to rest at their door step.
And if they are as lucky as George Essien, justice will be swift, certain and severe, in order to serve as a deterrent to others. Some employees are currently being processed for court,” he noted. While addressing the situation involving his nephew, Professor Attafuah reaffirmed NIA’s commitment to celebrating disciplined, courageous, and patriotic employees who stand against criminality, impunity, and lawlessness in the country.
Source: ghanaweb
