Ignatius Baffour Awuah, the former Member of Parliament for Sunyani West and President of Nsoatreman Football Club, was arrested alongside two others for their alleged involvement in the fracas that ensued between players and supporters of Asante Kotoko and Nsoatreman FC.
The arrest of the former Minister of Employment and Labour Relations follows a series of eyewitness accounts which mention him as a key figure in the melee that ensued on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
A number of witnesses, including the Technical Director of Asante Kotoko, Kwasi Appiah, and the driver of the club, cite him as the man who instigated the attack on the Kotoko supporters and players, leading to the death of the Asante Kotoko fan, Francis Frimpong, widely known as Pooley.
“They told us they would bring 120 police officers, but the number of officers present was not even up to 20,” he told Ghana Sports Page.
He further shared that he suffered an attack in the stands after declining to join Nsoatreman FC owner and former Member of Parliament, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, in controlling the fans following a scuffle that had escalated from the field to the crowd.
He claimed that Baffour Awuah, who was not pleased with his refusal, incited some fans to attack the Kotoko supporters in the VIP section.
“The MP asked me to go and calm the fans down, but it was his supporters causing the trouble, and we were outnumbered. The Kotoko fans in the VIP section said, ‘No, we won’t let you go because it’s risky.’”
“The MP got upset that we didn’t join him on the field and incited the fans to attack us. Five macho men came to the VIP section, saying they wanted to take Nana Pooley and the Ashanti Regional Supporters Chairman. We asked why since they had done nothing wrong, which led to a fight,” he added.
Kwasi Appiah mentioned that he was hit with a sachet of water during the violent brawl before Baffour Awuah, who is also a former Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, instructed the fans to stop.
“I even got hit by a sachet of water in the process. It was only after that incident that the former minister intervened and told the fans to stop, and they finally did.”
In a video widely circulating on social media, an eyewitness recounted how the former MP allegedly unleashed his thugs on the Kotoko fans.
According to him, Ignatius Baffour Awuah was angered by a comment from Pooley and allegedly instructed the thugs to attack him despite pleas from Pooley and the Kotoko fans.
Watch his narration below:
An Eyewitness Narrates The Kotoko And Nsoatreman incident that led to the D£ath Of “POOLEY” the Kotoko Die Hard Fan Who Was St@bbed to Death Yesterday After A Violent Clash Between Nsoatreman Vs Kotoko.. #shadrackamonoocrabeupdates pic.twitter.com/gjbYXjxKzl
— Shadrack Amonoo Crabe 👁🗨 (@ShadrackAmonooC) February 3, 2025
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