Tema Port security arrest suspected terrorist

Nene Ofoe-Teye, a Senior Officer in the Security Department of the Tema Port has called for the recognition of the country’s heroes as an encouragement to spur them on for greater achievements.

He particularly heaped praises on Lt. Col. Joseph Malik Punamane, head of Security at the Tema Port and his lieutenants as heroes of the moment for successfully thwarting a potential terror attack.

“Nobody is talking about the smooth professionalism that they displayed and it is a shame because if an attack had taken place, the media would have been awash with the bad news,” Ofoe Teye said.

Nene, who is also the Tema East Constituency Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) said that national honours were in order for Lt. Col. JM Punamane and his charges at the Tema Port.

In collaboration with his Deputy, Kingsley Darko, Col. Punamane is said to have arrested a suspected Irish terrorist and his Ghanaian accomplice, 25-year-old David Kammermeier who was picked up at about 12:45 on Wednesday, 17th October at the Port when he was found suspiciously loitering about Berth 13 of the Port.

He said Col. Punamane and his charges who were on high-security alert since reports emerged that Ghana’s power barge in Tema had become a target for terrorists, quickly picked Mr Kammermeier up on Wednesday afternoon.

During preliminary investigation, Mr. Kammermeier mentioned Nicolas Ocansey, a freight forwarder with a company called Hangola Ghana Limited, as the person who aided him to gain entry to the port.

It has since emerged that David Kammermeier had suspicious footprints in many countries, including Germany, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso, where he was arrested.

However, due to lack of concrete evidence, the Burkinabe authorities released him.

The Irish suspect and his Ghanaian collaborator have since been handed over to the Tema regional branch of the Bureau of National Investigations, and information he claimed that he was on a study tour in Ghana.

“Whatever the outcome of the investigation, one cannot help but to applaud the professionalism that Lt. Col. Punamane and his lieutenants have displayed and I think this deserves to be praised,” Nene Ofoe-Teye said.

He used the opportunity to assure both local and foreign patrons of the Tema Port that security was tight and reliable and since the posting of Col. Punamane there, the overall security atmosphere had improved remarkably with sea patrols and even security at the anchorage of the port beefed up.

“It is due to this heightened sense of security that David kammermeier was detected and picked up quickly.

Evans Amarh, a Security personnel at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, added his voice to the praise singing saying Lt. Col. Malik Punamane and his charges richly deserved it.

Mr Amarh, who is also the Deputy Constituency Organizer of Tema East NDC said, “the praise should be extended to the current Director General of GPHA, Mr. Michael Luguje, and the Board Chairman, Mr Peter MacManu, as well.

“There has been mature cordiality between the Board Chair and the Director-General and this has created a good working environment for all the departments, including the security department, to work fluidly,” Mr. Amarh concluded.

Credit: GNA