Abronye’s detention extended as court orders two-week remand

Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, has been remanded into police custody for two weeks by an Accra Circuit Court.

The decision, handed down on Friday, was to give prosecutors additional time to continue investigations.

The Bono Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party was first arrested on 8 September by the Ghana Police Service over what officials described as “offensive conduct conducive to the breach of public peace.”

He has remained in custody since then. The case, though lacking publicly disclosed details, has attracted widespread attention given Abronye’s prominence in national politics. He is expected to reappear before the court on 26 September.

The remand has triggered criticism from political figures, most notably former Attorney-General and Justice Minister Godfred Yeboah Dame.

In comments on Friday, Dame accused the administration of President John Mahama of showing intolerance and attempting to silence dissent.

He argued that such actions undermine democratic freedoms and set what he described as a dangerous precedent.

“Even in the most serious case I prosecuted, which was the treason trial, all the accused persons were granted bail on the first day. This is a sharp contrast when it comes to the situation Abronye is facing,” Dame recalled.

The former Attorney-General drew comparisons with other high-profile prosecutions in which figures such as former minister Collins Dauda, current Finance Minister Ato Forson, and businessman Richard Jakpa were all granted bail without extended detention.

According to him, the continued custody of Abronye sends the wrong signal about the state of free expression in Ghana.

“There ought to be tolerance for free speech, and the intolerance of this administration is very repulsive,” he said.