The killing of the notorious Kumai armed robber, Osumanu Gado, has sparked off controversy in the Ashanti regional capital about the political affiliation of the suspected armed robber. Gado, who was shot dead by the joint police/military patrol team at Akrokeri near Obuasi last Sunday evening is said to be a member of the ruling National Democratic Congress in the city.
Rumours are rife in the city that the deceased robber, who used sophisticated weapons during his escapades, was a top-notch member of the NDC at Asokwa constituency in Kumasi. Gado�s NDC card, sources hinted, bears the registration number 3431 with the name Osman Alhaji Sule, but attempts to get the Asokwa Constituency executives of the NDC to speak about it proved futile. Gado, who is said to be wealthy and boasts of flashy cars and two mansions at Sepe, allegedly financed the ruling political party during the 2008 presidential and parliamentary polls.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that an NDC party card with Gado�s name and portrait was retrieved from the deceased robber�s black Mousso Ssanyong vehicle registered, GT 585 S at the Central Police Station on Monday morning. It was also gathered that a complimentary card of a top government official in the Garden City was found among the items retrieved from the 46-year old and �experienced� robber who terrorized residents of the city with impunity until nemesis caught up with him on Sunday evening.The aforementioned items, according to sources, are among the numerous items found on Gado that are in police custody.
However, the police have flatly denied the assertion that an NDC card with Gado�s portrait and name was found among the items retrieved from his car.
In an interview with Daily Guide, Chief Inspector Mohammed Yussif Tanko of the Ashanti Regional Police Public Affairs Unit confirmed that an NDC card with a name and portrait of a different person was found on Gado. But he was not ready to show it to Daily Guide, deepening the suspicion. The police capo suspected that the owner of the card might be one of the numerous victims of Gado�s illegal activities, stressing, there was no iota of truth that Gado was a staunch NDC member according to police investigations.
Chief Inspector Tanko averred that the police have got in touch with the hierarchy of the NDC in the region to help them trace the whereabouts of the owner of the NDC card so that the police could enquire from him how his party card got into the hands of Gado. He also denied that a complimentary card of a top-notch government official in the region was found on the notorious robber, promising his outfit�s desire to investigate the matter to the latter. Gado has been on the police wanted list for so many years, until he was gunned down last weekend, with three other accomplices now on the run.
Two of the escaped armed robbers have been identified as Rashid and Awudu Latif, who are believed to have gunshot wounds on them. Police retrieved two AK 47 assault rifles, a single barreled gun and ammunition as well as a knife, a face mask and a sack from the robbers. Gado�s robbery record dates back to 2001 when he was identified by two victims at an identification parade in Kumasi.
He is also said to have shot and paralyzed a policeman on guard duty near Asante Mampong in the same year. Gado was later granted bail by a Kumasi court, sparking off a feud between police and the judiciary. Police say Gado and his gang have in separate incidents, within the last two months, robbed victims of GH�6,000 and 1000 pounds. On Saturday, they attacked a residence at Fumesua near Kumasi and made away with $12,000.
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