The Ghana Police has refuted claims that the arrest and detention of the NDC Parliamentary Candidate (PC) for Awutu Senya East constituency, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, was carried out on the orders of a higher authority.
On the night of Friday, June 7, hundreds of sympathizers, members and executives of the NDC thronged the Cantonment Police station to protest against the detention of Naa Koryoo and two others. While there, the National Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, indicated that senior police officials confided in him that Naa Koryoo’s detention was based on an “order from above”.
However, the Police, in a press statement shot down Asiedu Nketia’s claims, saying they were baseless. The Police reiterated that the NDC PC and the two other individuals were detained solely because of the discovery of a Pump Action gun with four rounds of ammunition in their vehicle. The discovery was made at the Electoral Commission (EC) office at Ofaakor where vote transfer and Voter ID card replacement exercises are currently taking place.
“The attention of the Ghana Police Service has been drawn to a video in which Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia is heard claiming that the Accra Regional Police Commander, the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Inspector-General of Police had indicated to him that the arrest of some three persons for possession of firearms at Ofaakor in the Awutu Senya East Constituency was based on an order from above.
“We would like to categorically state that the claims are false and without any bases. None of the officers mentioned in the video has at any point in time made any such pronouncement.
“We wish to emphasize that all three suspects were arrested when a Pump Action gun with four rounds of ammunition was found in their vehicle at the offices of the Electoral Commission at Ofaakor in the Awutu Senya East constituency of the Central region. They have subsequently been cautioned and granted bail,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the PC was released on Saturday, June 8. She was given a rousing welcome upon return to her constituency.