NPP petitions Diplomatic Corps over arrest of Abronye DC

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has petitioned the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps to intervene in what it describes as the unlawful arrest and detention of the Bono Regional Chairman of the party, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.

Speaking during the presentation of the petition, NPP Member of Parliament, Jerry Ahmed Shaib accused the government led by John Dramani Mahama of promoting what he described as a “culture of silence.”

According to him, the continued detention of Abronye DC over a bailable offence was unacceptable and against the principles of justice.

He argued that keeping an accused person in custody until a matter is fully determined was not common practice in democratic states.

“It can only happen in a kangaroo or banana state,” he stated.

Mr. Shaib further alleged that state institutions were being influenced to intimidate political opponents.

He maintained that the criminal libel law had long been repealed in Ghana and questioned why individuals were allegedly being targeted over comments on national issues.

According to him, citizens should not be arrested simply for expressing views, including claims that power outages, popularly known as “dumsor,” had returned.

The lawmaker also accused the presiding judge in the matter of showing bias and claimed the court had failed to indicate when Abronye DC would reappear or be released.

He explained that the NPP deliberately chose a peaceful approach in presenting the petition to the diplomatic community instead of organising demonstrations.

Mr. Shaib noted that the delegation was acting on the instructions of the party leadership, including the Minority Leader, the General Secretary, the National Organiser, and former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.

He called on the diplomatic community and ambassadors in the country to engage the Ghanaian authorities and ensure that justice and human rights were upheld.

By: Jacob Aggrey