NDC Youth Group Ransacks Former Tamale Mayor�s Residence

A vigilante youth group of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Tamale known as the Nato Forces has ransacked the private residence of former Mayor of Tamale, Alhaji Harunah Abdulai Friday. Without authorization by the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), the group retrieved the assembly�s Ford Everest vehicle with registration number GE 9338 Y which has since been in the custody of the former Tamale Mayor after he left office early 2013. To a large extent, their action might have been in compliance with calls by former President Jerry John Rawlings to help the Mahama administration fight corruption which has become pervasive in the country. Spokesperson for the group, Abu Muhaisin in an interview with Citi News accused Alhaji Harunah Friday of theft. He said the NATO Forces stormed Alhaji Friday�s private residence at Jakarayili to retrieve all properties of the Metro assembly in his possession. According to Muhaisin, the group established that the TMA had not given the Ford Everest vehicle to Alhaji Friday as part of his ex-gratia package. �He went and hid it somewhere besides his residence so it had to take us intelligence upon intelligence for us to really get to know where the car was then hiding.� He declared the NATO Forces intention to release the vehicle to the Tamale metro assembly for its intended purpose. �We are not taking full possession of the car we are only ensuring that the right thing is been done; currently the car is in our possession and we are on our way returning it back to the assembly.� Asked as to whether such similar exercises have been conducted in the past, Muhaisin mentioned GYEEDA and the SADA secretariat as some government agencies where similar action has been taken in the past. �We are just ensuring the appropriate thing is done and we are acting within the remits of the law; we have done similar things at SADA and GYEEDA offices and we will continue to do more.� Abu Muhaisin explained the rational of the NATO Forces saying, �Nato Forces is a very proactive youth wing in Tamale and we are only serving as a citizen vigilante in ensuring that the appropriate thing is been done by public service holders; at the end of the day the reputation and hard won integrity of the party is at stake and we wouldn�t want our political opponents to use mere gimmicks like this against us.� Attempts to reach the former Tamale Mayor, Alhaji Abdulai Harunah Friday proved futile.