A senior Ghana Police officer and commander of the IGP’s Special Operations Taskforce, DSP Abdul Jalil Bawah,
has finally spoken out about a painful chapter from the early days of his career one he says was a deliberate attempt to destroy him before he even got started.In a candid interview with media personality Blakk Rasta, DSP Bawah recounted how, nearly 19 years ago as a young constable in his first year on the job, he was framed in a weapon theft case that he believes was orchestrated because he dared to speak up against corruption.
It still brings back some pain,” he admitted. “I was just a young guy who had joined the Police Service, and within my first year, I got framed.”At the time, Bawah and other young officers were assigned to guard ministerial bungalows. Part of the job involved allowances, but he says there was a shady practice where money was deducted if someone missed a duty parade.
He and a few colleagues openly resisted it, calling it outright corruption.That outspokenness, he believes, made him a target.Then came the allegation: a weapon that someone else had booked and failed to return on two occasions suddenly became his problem.“Why should I be held responsible for a weapon that another person booked and didn’t return?”
he asked.Bawah explained that the Police Service has clear standard procedures for issuing and returning arms — officers must provide their name, service number, weapon details, and rounds received. He insists he always followed the rules and returned his own weapon properly.He even doubts whether any weapon was genuinely missing, saying the whole thing “didn’t add up.” Instead of a fair investigation, he claims he was interdicted, publicly named in the newspapers as an armed robber, and dragged through the mud.“It was a frame-up,” he stated firmly.
They published that I was an armed robber… but when they took me to court, they couldn’t prove anything.”After a long legal battle — including a service enquiry and a case at the High Court in Tamale — Bawah was fully cleared. The court ruled that his arrest was unlawful,
the prosecution was malicious, and his reputation had been damaged. He was ordered reinstated, with all his back salaries and interest paid.“I was acquitted and discharged,” he said.
Today, DSP Bawah leads a high-profile special taskforce, but he says he’s surprised that old, debunked claims are being resurrected nearly 20 years later, with some people still peddling falsehoods instead of telling the full story.