The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) custody.
According to him, the detention of Abronye DC over comments he allegedly made about a judge was unconstitutional and amounted to political intimidation.
Addressing a press conference in Accra last Sunday, Mr Afenyo-Markin described the arrest, prosecution and remand of the NPP regional chairman as “a profound constitutional wrong”.
“Mr Kwame Baffoe, Abronye DC, must be released from BNI custody immediately. His detention is constitutionally indefensible and must end today,” he stated.
He further argued that “the arrest, prosecution and remand of a citizen for words spoken in the public square is not justice. It is persecution”.
The NPP Member of Parliament for Effutu questioned the legality of Abronye DC’s continued detention, alleging that no signed and certified remand order had been made available several days after the court proceedings.
“A remand order is not a verbal instruction. It is a formal judicial instrument. It is the written legal authority upon which the deprivation of a citizen’s liberty must rest,” he said.
The Minority Leader asked on what legal basis the Ghana Police Service transferred Abronye DC to BNI custody, given that the remand order had not been properly issued.
“This office puts the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigations and the Circuit Court 9 on clear and unambiguous notice,” he said.
He added that the absence of a certified remand order, if confirmed, would render the detention unlawful.
Bail refusal criticised
Mr Afenyo-Markin also criticised the court’s decision to deny Abronye DC bail.
He said the prosecution opposed bail on the grounds that the accused person could repeat the alleged offence if granted bail.
“In other words, the state asked a court to imprison a man before any finding of guilt because he might speak again,” he stated.
“A citizen imprisoned not for what he did, but for what he might say — that is not law.
That is censorship from the bench,” he added.
The Minority Leader maintained that the decision was inconsistent with constitutional provisions on personal liberty and the presumption of innocence.
Alleged suppression of dissent
Mr Afenyo-Markin claimed that the prosecution of Abronye DC formed part of a broader pattern of intimidation against members of the opposition NPP.
He cited the arrests and prosecutions of some NPP communicators and activists, including Baba Amando, David Essandoh and Alfred Ababio Kumi, also known as Adenta Kumi.
“These are not isolated incidents,” he said, adding that “this is state-sponsored political persecution and it must stop”.
He also urged civil society organisations, the media and the legal fraternity to speak out against what he described as attacks on free expression.
Background
Abronye DC was remanded into BNI custody after appearing before Circuit Court 9 in Accra on May 13, 2026. He is to reaapear on May 27, 2026.
He is facing charges of offensive conduct conducive to breach of the peace and publication of false news under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The charges are linked to comments he allegedly made in a social media video criticising the conduct and impartiality of a Circuit Court judge.
The prosecution opposed bail on the grounds that he could repeat the alleged offences if released, after which the court remanded him into custody.
