Akanni Logistics, the firm tasked with delivering bulletproof vehicles to the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), has fired back at the military, alleging sloppy oversight and misinformation in a deal worth over $1.4 million. The controversy centers on five Toyota Land Cruisers, which the company insists were unfairly maligned by senior officers following a high-profile exposé by The Herald.
In a sharply worded statement delivered through its legal team at Boyuo@Law, Akanni Logistics claimed the GAF’s inspection team, headed by Colonel DKG Hooper, botched its assessment of the armored vehicles. The company’s lawyer, Cephas Boyuo, pointed to a military memo dated March 21, 2025, which admitted to an “inadvertent error” in the procurement records. According to Boyuo, this correction came hot on the heels of what he called a “malicious” report by *The Herald*, suggesting the newspaper’s coverage forced the military’s hand.
The original deal saw Akanni Logistics supply five Armoured Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GXRs, priced at $285,000 each—a total of $1.425 million. However, customs documents uncovered by *The Herald* revealed a stark discrepancy: the bill of lading listed each vehicle at $160,000, raising eyebrows over the apparent markup. The investigation also spotlighted a sixth vehicle—a sleek black 2023 Lexus LX 600—delivered to General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, the outgoing Chief of Defense Staff (CDS). Sources say Oppong-Peprah scrambled to settle duties on the Lexus through a third-party firm, Eyetrams Cargo Service Ltd., after the story broke, with the bill totaling a hefty GHC 1,236,520.
Akanni Logistics has stayed mum on the pricing gap and the Lexus saga, with Boyuo emphasizing his role as counsel solely for the company, not the general. Yet the firm didn’t hesitate to challenge the GAF’s narrative. The military initially used an outdated procurement form—dated January 29, 2025—to evaluate the vehicles, only to later concede the correct document was issued on July 9, 2024. That earlier form, tied to a $1.3 million contract with supplier Ramelsco Company Ltd., confirmed the vehicles met specifications, despite some hiccups.
Those hiccups, however, are hard to ignore. The contract demanded 2024/2025 models with 3.3 GXR HI Diesel engines and 20-inch alloy wheels. What rolled up instead were 2022 Twin Turbo models sporting 18-inch wheels. Missing features like side steps and wireless chargers further fueled the fire. Brigadier General EK Commey, who signed off on the GAF’s apology, recommended paying Ramelsco $1.3 million for the job—though curiously, he wasn’t part of the original inspection crew. Whether a second review took place remains unclear.
The drama doesn’t end there. Akanni Logistics has turned its sights on *The Herald*, accusing the outlet of spinning a web of lies to tarnish its name. The company’s legal team cited a trio of articles—headlined with bombshells like “Military Chiefs Divert US$1.4M Armoured Vehicles as Retirement Gifts”—as proof of a smear campaign. They’ve demanded a full retraction, an apology, and the articles’ removal within 12 hours, threatening lawsuits if the paper doesn’t comply.
Meanwhile, the vehicles remain in the hands of retired top brass, including Oppong-Peprah and former chiefs of the navy, army, air force, and staff. Calls for the Mahama administration to probe the deal and reclaim the cars have so far gone unanswered, leaving the public to wonder who’s really steering this costly mess.
As the dust settles, Akanni Logistics stands firm: the GAF’s blunders, not their business practices, are to blame for the uproar. Whether that holds up under scrutiny—or if more secrets lurk beneath the armor—remains to be seen.
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