An officer at the Office of the Special Prosecutor who is said to have witnessed the clash at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which led to the arrest of renowned lawyer Martin Kpebu, has given supposed details of the incident.
Speaking during a panel discussion on JoyNews’ NewsFile programme on December 6, 2025, the said officer, whose identity was withheld, said that she witnessed the altercation from start to finish and was part of those who tried to calm down tempers.
The said officer, who is a female, indicated that the clash started when the officers, whom Martin Kpebu identified as soldiers, cautioned him against going out to grant interviews after parking at the precincts of the OSP.
“When I was walking into the premises of the office, I noticed there was an interview being conducted by some guy from the media with Mr Kpebu. I got into the premises; the officer on duty let him know that it was being conducted quite close to the place, and then they asked him to move away. So I was still on the compound when he then walked in.
“Right at the gate, the men let him know that anytime he comes to the office, once he parks, he’s supposed to go straight to do his business — as in go straight to the reception — and that they don’t do things like this here. Now his (Kpebu’s) response was that he can do what he wants; they can’t tell him what to do. And these men kept insisting that you can’t do that here.”
She added, “Next thing I know, it’s escalating to insults. There was the F word being used. There were the other ones.”
She asserted that Martin Kpebu was the one who was verbally abusing the officers at the OSP and not the other way round as he has claimed.
Martin Kpebu recounts reason for his detention by OSP
“The verbal abuse — I heard it from Mr Kpebu. I heard Mr Kpebu use those words. He used the F word; he used the other insult. Aside that, there was no physical abuse; it was the verbal abuse, which I heard from him,” she insisted.
The OSP officer refuted the assertion that the renowned lawyer was provoked by the security personnel before the remarks he made.
“What I can speak to is the fact that these men kept insisting that they don’t do that here. And his response was, ‘I can do what I want; you can’t tell me what to do.’ They stood their ground, saying the same thing to him. And then there was a flare-up,” she added.
Martin Kpebu’s side of the story:
According to Kpebu, a soldier stationed at the OSP, who he noted was not wearing a name tag, approached him and remarked that officers had “allowed” him to park his car. The soldier then warned that the next time he visited, he would not be allowed to park or even leave the compound freely.
Kpebu said he challenged the soldier’s comments, insisting that the officer had no authority to restrict his rights, especially when he was neither under investigation nor being treated as a suspect. He stated that he was only present to provide additional information as requested by the OSP.
He said another soldier later shouted “you will see” at him as he continued walking. Kpebu explained that in the Ghanaian context, the phrase is generally understood as a threat of consequences, even if not physical harm.
He stated that feeling provoked, he turned around and repeated that the officer had no right to speak to him in that manner.
Tensions escalated when one of the soldiers allegedly called him “stupid.” Kpebu admitted that he responded in kind, telling the soldier he was also stupid. Kpebu noted a brief verbal exchange followed before one of his lawyers stepped in and guided him inside for the meeting.
Martin Kpebu released after hours in OSP custody
Kpebu maintained that the confrontation was the basis for his arrest.
“Then a colleague of his, another soldier, shouted that next time I do that, I will see. In Ghanaian English, ‘you will see’ means he will cause me some harm or there will be consequences, even if not physical. So I turned and gave the same answer — he had no right. I’m not a suspect, and even if I was, could he do that? So I said he had no right.
“Then the next thing I knew, he said I’m stupid. That’s what the soldier said. So I turned back and told him he is also stupid. We exchanged a few words, and then one of my lawyers pulled me so we could go in,” he said, adding that he would never attack any officer who had done nothing to him.
He recounted that after the altercation, he was taken into custody and transferred to a National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) facility. The private legal practitioner said he was informed that the charge against him was obstruction of an officer of the OSP.
Martin Kpebu was released after nearly five hours of detention by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in the late hours of December 3, 2025, following public outcry over his arrest.
BAI/
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