Prominent lawyer Martin Kpebu has criticized the ongoing detention of Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, a regional chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), and called on party leaders to intervene directly with the Inspector General of Police to secure his release.
Mr. Baffoe, the NPP’s Bono Regional Chairman, was arrested on September 8 and remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for one week to allow prosecutors more time for investigations. The charges against him have not been fully disclosed, but Mr. Kpebu characterized them as “minor” and argued that the extended detention is disproportionate to the alleged offense.
“This is not the kind of case that warrants keeping a man behind bars for a week,” Mr. Kpebu said in an interview on Eyewitness News Friday evening. “It’s a small offence. He poses no flight risk. He should be out on bail while the case proceeds.”
Mr. Kpebu further urged the NPP leadership to make a direct appeal to Inspector General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno, citing the police chief’s prior service as Deputy IGP under former President Nana Akufo-Addo as grounds for possible leniency.
“There’s a rapport there,” Mr. Kpebu said. “If senior members of the NPP were to meet with the IGP and ask for the charges to be dropped or the case to be handled with discretion, I don’t believe he would refuse. This is not a high-stakes criminal matter.”
Mr. Baffoe’s detention has drawn concern from some in Ghana’s legal and political circles, raising questions about prosecutorial discretion and the politicization of law enforcement. While the details of the alleged offense remain sparse, Mr. Kpebu’s comments reflect broader anxieties over due process and the use of remand as a punitive tool.
The Ghana Police Service has yet to comment on the case or respond to calls for Mr. Baffoe’s early release.
