Accra Mayor denies ordering the shooting of lawyer's car

Source: Graphic Online  -  Accra Mayor, Alfred Oko Vanderpjuije has denied reports that he ordered his security detail to shoot at a car tailgating his vehicle in a suspicious manner.

Mr. Vanderpuije described the publication by the Daily Guide newspaper as “misleading and unprofessional” while threatening action against the paper.

The controversial Mayor is alleged to have ordered his bodyguard to impound a Pontiac Vibe saloon car in a typical Hollywood style amid shooting.

The incident took place in front of the famous Mantse Agbonaa Park in James Town, Accra, in broad daylight.

However, explaining the circumstances leading to the incident, the Mayor said the Pontiac Vive, reportedly driven by a Lawyer, Bruce Thompson, was too close his vehicle.

He said on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, Tuesday, January 13, 2015 that he asked his security guard to speak to the driver to keep a distance to avoid a possible accident.

But he realized the security official took an unusual long time to return to his car but no incident was brought to his attention at that material moment. It was later that he learnt of the shooting; the Mayor narrated.

"I wasn’t even at the scene; I didn’t order the officer to shoot,” Alfred Vanderpuije strongly maintained in the interview with host of the Show, Kojo Yankson.
According to him, “It was my officer [who fired the shots]…but to say that I came out of the car and I ordered the guy to shoot is misleading,” he stated.

He said the case had been reported to the police and investigations were underway.

“Once a shooting has occurred, the police would investigate…let the police deal with that please,” he pleaded.

The Accra Mayor, known to be “a no-nonsense man,” has on several occasions attracted the headline by taking rather aggressive actions against drivers who flout road traffic regulations. He has always defended his actions.

“As Chief Executive Officer of Accra, if any driver is involved in it [indiscipline], I will deal with it,” he insisted.

That does not make him an irresponsible man, he said.

“Alfred Vanderpuije is an individual who is a very responsible gentleman…I am an individual who cares [and] I am not somebody who has lost his mind!”