Oliver Barker-Vormawor was denied bail and has been remanded into police custody
This gestapo-style and clandestine mode of arrest carried out unlawfully by our state apparatus like National Security, BNI and the Police Service have been with us for years across all successive governments.
This mundane and archaic mode of arrest carried out by overzealous security and politically motivated personnel needs to be condemned and nipped in the bud.
As a democratic country with almost 60-years of independence and over 27-years of constitutional rule, we can’t continue with this insanity in the name of the arrest. We, as a citizen, can’t allow the very people we gave power to, to use the same power to harass us and take away our inalienable rights and freedom as enshrined in the constitution. Never!
This repugnant practice of torture, kidnapping, harassment, in a gestapo brutish manner in the name of ‘lawful’ arrest carried out by our security agents needs Samuel Buabeng’s definition of Coup d’ Etat to stop it asap!
We can’t fight to repeal the Criminal Libel Law in our books in 2001 and turnaround to arrest, detain and handcuff journalists and social media activists for false publication in 2022—slapping them with Custodian Sentence in a democratic country like Ghana. Absolutely incredible!
The talk must cease. Action must be taken to stop this kidnapping and harassment in the name of the arrest. The overzealous security operatives must be weed out, named and shamed. Ghana is not a police state nor is it a banana republic ruled by a tyrant.
What amazes me in all these inhumane gestapo-style arrests is a section of the political class and supporters who defend this archaic practice.
Their logic of defense defies logic. How do you condemn this shameful practice in opposition and defend same in government? Very pathetic!
Citizens and the media fraternity have a constitutional right expressively stated in Article 165(2), and the security apparatus can’t criminalize us for expressing and performing that right. Never!
Our President, an accomplished Human Rights Lawyer, on World Press Freedom Day in May 2018 echoed these profound words from the echelons of power. He said, “I will say again that I much prefer the noisy, boisterous, sometimes scurrilous media of today, to the monotonous, praise-singing, sycophantic one of yesteryears”
Then in 2022, how do we justify Captian Smart’s arrest? How do we justify the Rambo style Bobbie’s arrest? How do we justify Oliver’s kidnapping arrest? How do we justify Daboussi’s BNI arrest?
This cruelty and barbaric act meted out to harmless and ordinary citizens, who don’t have the capacity to even overthrow their own ‘wicked’ family heads must stop forthwith!
Do you know in the matter of Republic vrs Bobie Ansah, it appears that the complainant is the Ghana Police.
The Investigator is the Ghana Police.
Prosecutor is the Ghana Police?
In the year 2020, how do you arrest any person without reading him his 'Miranda rights'?
You Have the right to remain silent. Silence cannot be used against defendants in court.
Anything you say can be used against you in a Court of Law. All suspects have the right to remain silent. ...
You Have the Right to Have an Attorney Present. ...
If you cannot afford an Attorney one will be appointed to you.
Tell me how difficult this is?
It doesn’t take much to be human and civil to suspects.
These overzealous security apparatus must be told in plain truth, that, power is transient.
Stop kidnapping us in the name of arrest.