Bernard Antwi Boasiako, the influential Ashanti Regional Chairman of Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), known widely as Chairman Wontumi, is scheduled to appear before the country’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Monday,May 26,following a high-profile but unsuccessful attempt by authorities to arrest him late last week.
The operation conducted jointly by officers from the Ghana Police Service and the National Security apparatus unfolded early Friday morning at Mr. Boasiako’s residence in Kumasi, igniting tensions among party loyalists. Eyewitnesses described a swift and impassioned response from hundreds of NPP supporters, who flocked to the chairman’s residence to protest the presence of heavily armed officers.
Although officials have yet to publicly disclose the motivation behind the attempted arrest, Mr. Boasiako reportedly assured law enforcement personnel during the standoff that he would voluntarily present himself to the CID.
His attorney, Kwame Adom Appiah, confirmed to Citi News that Mr. Boasiako remains committed to cooperating with authorities. “We are practicing democracy,” Mr. Appiah said. “Wontumi is not someone who will run. He has significant investments in Ghana. If they want him today, they will get him today.”
The attempted arrest has sparked a broader debate over political neutrality in law enforcement operations. Critics within the NPP have characterized the incident as politically charged, a claim the government has pushed back against.
In a radio interview following the incident, Deputy Interior Minister Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi defended the operation, stating that the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) acted within legal and procedural guidelines.
“The National Security did not go to Mr. Boasiako’s house without cause,” Mr. Terlabi said. “Let’s allow the security agencies to do their work. What we need in this country is peace.”
Addressing allegations by Mr. Boasiako that the attempted arrest was intended to intimidate or harm him, Mr. Terlabi dismissed such claims as political theater. “He is just playing the victim,” he said. “Nobody wants to kill Wontumi. They went there to invite him, not
Source:TheDotNews