NDC National Chairman arrested with frivolous claim

The National Democratic Congress Chairman, was yesterday arrested under a very frivolous claim; that someone mentioned him as the brain behind the kidnappings happening in the country.

Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, was at a house in Labone, Accra paying a party member a visit, when he was arrested.

The NDC National Chairman, was subsequently driven to his private home, where a search was carried out at the residence, while his lawyers were made to wait for him at the Police CID Headquarters.

Interestingly, before the arrest yesterday, the pro-NPP newspaper Daily Guide newspaper owned by Freddie Blay, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman, had published on its website that the NDC Chairman, had been arrested by the Police.

He was rather arrested at 3pm, implying that the arrest was already planned and leaked to the media, ahead of the actual arrest.

The arrest comes after the Mr Ampofo’s refusal to honour an invitation to report to the Dfirector-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, to assist in investigations into the recent spate of kidnappings and arson in the country.

According to the correspondence inviting him, a suspect whose name is not yet given, had accused him of being behind the kidnappings in the country, a situation which informed the police to invite him to assist with their investigations.

But the NDC Chairman, declined the invitation. His lawyers described the invitation as “political harassment” and “intimidation.”

On Monday, a warrant was issued for Mr Ampofo’s arrest, but members of his party, have vowed to support their Chairman and will resist any attempts to arrest him.

During the party’s 27th anniversary celebrations, Greater Accra Chairman of the party, Joseph Ade Coker, dared the police to go ahead with what he says is an attempt to intimidate Mr Ampofo.

He said: “We all know what is happening in this country and we are waiting for anybody who thinks that he will come and do something that is untoward…he will see the might of NDC.

“I am positive that in the days coming all of us will marshal ourselves and make sure that we show the might of NDC. I think for a long time we’ve become very dormant so it’s about time we bare our teeth,” he said.

Mr Ampofo, is already standing trial for conspiracy to assault a public officer and conspiracy to cause harm after he was secretly recorded allegedly outlining plans to cause mayhem.

On Sunday, the NDC issued a statement saying it “has learnt that the government, using the security agencies, has obtained a court warrant in the past few days for the arrest of our national Chairman, Hon. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo. We have further learnt that the security agencies intend to do this apparently in conjunction with elements of NPP vigilante forces and that they intend to arrest the Chairman in a manner aimed at lowering him in the esteem of Ghanaians”.

It said “the NDC takes a very serious view of the government’s intention, if our information is correct, and wish to bring to the attention of the country that, as the Chairman of the largest opposition party in Ghana, our national Chairman is entitled to be treated with the utmost respect and dignity”.

According to the NDC “whilst still respecting the already-stated stance of the Council of Elders regarding police invitations, we wish to state that the national Chairman is a law-abiding citizen who will never flout an order properly obtained from a court with authority to do so”.

The statement signed by Kakra Essamuah, the NDC’s Director of Communications through the statement notified its “teeming supporters of the National Democratic Congress to expect the imminent arrest of the National Chairman for the purpose of advancing the narrow political interests of President Akufo-Addo to silence all legitimate political opposition. At all times, the national Chairman of our party can count on the solidarity of the entire membership of the party and we stand solidly behind Hon. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo”.

As at press time yesterday, Mr Ampofo, was still with the Police CID with reports that he would not be detained.