The Executive Secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, has revealed how he played a role in the arrest and conviction of his nephew, George Kwame Essien, an Assistant Technical Enrollment Officer at NIA’s Walewale Office.
In a Facebook post, Professor Attafuah detailed the events leading to Essien’s arrest and conviction for misconduct, including bribery, registration of an ineligible foreigner, and forging documents.
According to Professor Attafuah, he received allegations of Essien’s misconduct and dispatched a team of investigators to Walewale to investigate. Upon Essien’s arrest, he pleaded with his uncle for forgiveness and intervention, promising not to repeat his actions.
However, Professor Attafuah refused to intervene, stating that Essien’s actions had undermined the integrity of the National Identification System (NIS) Project and brought the NIA into disrepute.
Essien was subsequently charged with abetment of crime, forgery of documents, causing unauthorized interference with electronic records, and causing unauthorized modification of information. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to seven months imprisonment on count 2 and six months each on counts 1, 3, and 4.
Professor Attafuah used the incident to underscore NIA’s commitment to upholding integrity, patriotism, and nationalism, stating that the Authority will not tolerate breaches of its Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) regardless of who is involved.
He also commended NIA employees who stand up against criminality, impunity, and lawlessness, emphasizing NIA’s commitment to honouring and celebrating such individuals.
The conviction of Essien serves as a reminder that no one is above the law, even those with connections to high-ranking officials. Professor Attafuah’s actions demonstrate NIA’s resolve to maintain the integrity of the NIS and ensure that all NIA employees adhere to the highest ethical standards.
Read the entire Facebook post below;
THE CONVICTION OF MR. GEORGE KWAME ESSIEN, AN ASSISTANT TECHNICAL ENROLLMENT OFFICER AT NIA’S WALEWALE OFFICE
On Sunday, 26th November 2023, I dispatched a team of Police Investigators from the CID Unit of the National Identification Authority (NIA) Headquarters in Accra to Walewale in the North-East Region to investigate sundry allegations of criminality including corruption, registration offences and breaches of NIA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) leveled against Mr. George Kwame Essien, an Assistant Technical Enrollment Officer. Incidentally, the said George Kwame Essien is my nephew.
Mr. Essien had an uncommon opportunity to serve Ghana as an NIA official. Instead of doing so with integrity and professionalism, George Essien engaged in bribe- taking, registration of an ineligible foreigner, forging the signatures of his office colleagues, and generally involving himself in misconduct tending to undermine the integrity of the National Identification System (NIS) Project — the very foundation of our nation’s digitalization agenda, and bringing the name of NIA into disrepute.
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 can not and must not forgive people like him who deliberately work to undermine the state.
Following his arrest, Essien was formally charged by the Walewale Police Command with the following offences:
“COUNT ONE
Abetment of Crime to wit providing false information to National Identification Authority Registration Officials: Contrary to section 20(1) of the Crinimal offences Act 1960 (Act 29) and section 40 (1) (A) of the National Identity Register Act 2008 (Act 750)
COUNT TWO
Forgery of Document: Contrary to section 158 of the Crinimal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29)
COUNT THREE
Causing an unauthorised interference with electronic records: Contrary to section 125 of the Electronic Transaction Act 2008 (Act 772)
COUNT FOUR
Causing an unauthorised modification of information to be made in the National Identification Authority Register : Contrary to section 40 (1) (g) of the National Identity Register Act 2008, Act 750″.
Yesterday, 29th November 2023, George Essien pleaded guilty to all counts before the Tamale District Court II. In consequence, he was convicted and sentenced to seven (7) months’ imprisonment on count 2 and six months each on count 1, 3 and 4. The court ordered that all the sentences are to run concurrently.
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.
I urge all employees of NIA and the general public to uphold integrity, patriotism, nationalism and lawfulness as the pillars on which we can build a clean, trusted and trustworthy society. We must bequeath to the next generation of Ghanaians a society that is cleaner because it has an NIS that constitutes a single source of truth in identity management and verification. Breaches of NIA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) will not be tolerated no matter who engages in it.
Even so, NIA will continue to honour and celebrate its disciplined, courageous, and patriotic employees who stand up against criminality, impunity, and lawlessness in our dear country.
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