The National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, has strongly condemned what he described as the “rambo-style” arrest of the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi.
Chairman Wontumi was picked up by officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) shortly after leaving the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters, where he had been interrogated over alleged illegal mining activities and unauthorised entry into forest reserves.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Tuesday, May 27, Nana B expressed outrage over the manner of the arrest and raised concerns about the rule of law under the current administration.
“Yesterday, he was invited by the police CID. He appeared and was interrogated on some illegal mining issues and allegedly entering forest reserves without a permit. He complied. He cooperated. He was granted bail.
“But just when he was exiting the CID premises, four pickups loaded with armed men stormed the area and arrested him in a manner that can only be described as backward, brutish, and completely unnecessary. Are we going back to such days?”
He added “somebody is invited by an investigative body, just when is about exiting, he is arrested in such rambo style as if he’s a terrorist, and he’s given being granted bail by the police CID.”
The party executive questioned whether this aggressive approach to law enforcement aligns with the democratic values President John Mahama promised upon returning to office.
“President Mahama, sir, I’m not sure this is the kind of leadership Ghanaians voted for. Yes, we all support accountability. But if you had told the people that your government would arrest citizens in such an awkward and outdated manner, I doubt you’d have gotten the mandate,” he added.
Nana B also criticised the lack of transparency from EOCO, stating that party leaders had been waiting for over two hours without any official confirmation about Chairman Wontumi’s location or legal status.
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