‘We still don’t know why he was taken’ – NPP protests Wontumi’s Rambo-style arrest – Nsemkeka
The opposition NPP has slammed what it describes as a “Rambo-style” arrest of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Bosiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, demanding immediate clarity on the reasons for his detention.
Speaking to the media late Tuesday, the party’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, expressed deep concern over how he was arrested and the lack of official communication regarding the investigation.
“Now I can confirm that he’s there. I’m also told that he’s there with Andrew Appiah Kubi. What we don’t know is what he’s being investigated for,” Nana Boakye stated outside the EOCO headquarters.
“We understand that he’s in the interrogation room. We are ready to be here overnight.”
According to him, the NPP is law-abiding and ready to cooperate with any investigative body, but strongly objects to what he describes as political harassment.
“What we will resist is any form of political harassment, and that is what we are witnessing,” he said.
He recounted that Chairman Wontumi had complied with an earlier invitation by the Police CID and appeared at their headquarters as scheduled. However, things took a dramatic turn as he was leaving.
“Just when he was about to exit, you have almost four pickups with men masked, armed to the teeth, and they just dragged Chairman Wontumi into the pickup. We don’t know why he’s been held here. We don’t know what they are investigating him for,” Boakye lamented.
The NPP leadership, including the General Secretary, attempted to see Wontumi but were denied access.
“We were allowed into the reception area. We thought we were going to see him, only for them to come back and tell us they cannot allow us access to Chairman Wontumi,” Boakye said.
He insisted the arrest was deliberately humiliating.
“Why is it that an investigative body invites him, and then just when he’s exiting, you arrest him in such a wrong style? Why the action-movie-style arrest? What is wrong with saying, ‘Make a date with us on this day’?”
Nana Boakye accused the current NDC government of dragging the country back to an era of fear and intimidation.
“The NDC government is sending us back to the dark days. It’s unfortunate. This is not why many Ghanaians voted for President Mahama,” he said.
“We’re all for accountability. But this kind of political victimisation and political harassment is uncalled for. That is what we are fighting.”
He also dismissed suggestions that the growing crowd of party supporters outside the CID headquarters was affecting Wontumi’s release.
“I don’t think so. Rather, I think we need to show that support. We need to register our displeasure. The President must know.”
As night fell, the NPP crowd outside the EOCO headquarters grew, with the party signalling it would not back down until it got answers.
“We still haven’t been informed of the reason for the investigation,” Nana Boakye emphasised. “And that alone raises serious questions.”