President John Dramani Mahama yesterday announced the appointment of COP Mr Christian Tetteh Yohunu as the Inspector-General of Police.
The communication, which effectively also retired COP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare as Inspector-General of Police, was signed by Felix Ofosu Kwakye, Spokesperson to the President.
The communication glowingly stated that Mr Christian Tetteh Yohunu brings forty years of experience to the position.
That would seem to be true. Research conducted by the Daily Searchlight indicates that Mr. Yohunu was recruited into the Ghana Police Service on August 1, 1985, which means that by August 2025, he would have served in the service for a whopping forty years!
Very little exists on the internet about Mr. Yohunu’s date of birth, but in July, 2024, the Herald newspaper gave his birthday as December 27, 1965.
That means that given the retirement age of sixty (60) in Ghana, Mr. Yohunu would serve for only nine months as I.G.P.
Against that background, his appointment may not be in the progressive interest of the Ghana Police Service.
And there is more.
Mr. Yohunu is said to have been recruited into the Ghana Police Service on August 1, 1985, at the rank of Lance Corporal, two ranks above a constable (Source the Herald- https://theheraldghana.com/deputy-igp-appointment-sparks-controversy/#:~:text=The%20appointment%20of%20Commissioner%20of,the%20country%20with%20various%20claims).
If this is true, Mr. Yohunu, at the time of his recruitment into the Ghana Police Service, was 20 years old. The issue was, why did the Police Force at the time find it necessary to recruit a twenty-year old into its ranks at the relatively high rank of Lance Corporal?
The only reason could be that he is coming in with very high academic credentials, or he was much older than 20.
With credentials, BECE would not rank as high (Ghana started implementing BECE in 1990 when Mr. Yohunu was already wearing a uniform) or WASSCE (The West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which replaced the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE), began in Ghana in 2006) or the SSSCE, which started in 1993 and ended in 2006.
If Mr. Yohunu, however entered the Police Force as a graduate, the question would be how many Ghanaians were graduating from Ghana’s universities back in 1985 at the tender age of 20 years?
And there is more.
Section 9 of the Police Service Act, on ‘Modes of Leaving the Force’ states;.
“(1) A person holding a post otherwise than on a limited engagement shall retire from the Police Force on reaching the age of 55 years, or in the case of a woman on reaching the age of 50 year”.
The facts are that Mr. Yohunu, is closer to 60, if not much, much older.
In the coming days, the Mahama Administration may have to answer some diligent questions on the mode of due diligence it conducted before Mr. Yohunu’s appointment.
