The National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Salam Mustapha, has raised concerns over what he describes as a disturbing trend of politically motivated arrests targeting members of the party under the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
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Speaking at a press conference on Friday, September 19, alongside regional youth leaders from across the country, Mustapha alleged that individuals affiliated with the NPP are being consistently arrested simply because of their political alignment.
He presented a list of party members who have reportedly been detained in recent months, claiming the arrests form part of a broader pattern of intimidation. While the full list of names could not be captured in this report, Mustapha emphasised that the number of affected individuals continues to grow.
“There’s been consistent pattern of arrest of people who align to the NPP party. Let me give you a bit of a rundown. Amadu Zakou, a young man who made a post, was arrested just because of a Facebook post. Gordon Asare Bediako was arrested, and no reason was given for his arrest. And this is a journalist. No reason whatsoever was ascribed for the arrest of Gordon Asare Bediako,” he said.
He continued, “One evening we heard news of the arrest of Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, a young man who had just gone to write an exam and was leaving the campus was accosted by men in three pickup vehicles heavily armed to the teeth. Without any question, they bundled him and took him into custody. Whatever reason, nobody is told because of his advocacy against the government.”
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Speaking further on the case of Adenta Kumi, Salam Mustapha stated that Kumi had committed no wrongdoing.
According to him, Kumi’s only “offense” was petitioning President Mahama over the removal of Chief Justice Torkornoo, an action others had taken without consequence. He said Kumi was arrested simply for submitting a petition to the President.
“…Then Adenta Kumi, another brilliant young NPP chap who in abhorrence relative to the removal of the chief justice as a law-abiding citizen wrote a petition in the same manner that three people used to ask for the ouster of the chief justice. He also petitioned his Excellency the President of the Republic of “Ghana John Dramani Mahama. His reward was that he became a subject of arrest; in fact, he was raided at dawn in the presence of his wife, the mother-in-law, and little children – very sad, very sad,” he said.
Mustapha also addressed the arrest of a Wontumi TV journalist, Agyenkwa Nana, alleging that he was beaten while being transported to the police station in the presence of police officers.
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According to Mustapha, Nana’s only “wrongdoing” was shouting “I’m a hero,” and he was remanded into police custody for two weeks.
“Agyenkwa Nana, another journalist was arrested in Kumasi, brought in a crowd, and he says that on the way he was beaten. And he showed strain on his muscles as evidence of the torture he received from security people because he made certain remarks deemed unpalatable by state security. So he was picked up. We went to court. I was present in court, and the court remanded him into custody for two weeks because he shouted ‘I’m a hero’,” Mustapha claimed.
Mustapha further called on civil society groups, the media, and international observers to take note of what he termed a “creeping culture of silence” and abuse of power, warning that such actions threaten Ghana’s democratic principles.
“Essentially, this miscarriage of justice, arbitrariness, selective application of the law, selective justice is gaining roots in Ghana that if we do not talk about it, if we do not act against it, and it takes root, my friends, my colleagues, let me remind you the parable of when they came for the socialists. I didn’t say anything because I was not a socialist.
“When they came for the trade unionist, I didn’t say anything because I am not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I didn’t say anything because I’m not a Jew. When they came for me… Complete it…When they finish with NPP people, they’ll come for you,” he warned.
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