Thursday, December 13, 2012

BNI DETAINS NPP BOY



Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday December 13, 2012.
The era of unlawful arrests and detentions is rearing its ugly head again as security agencies, particularly the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), embarks on arrests of New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters.

A case in point is the unlawful arrest and detention of a 34-year-old Ghanaian domiciled in the US who unknowingly chanced on the alleged thumb-printing of ballots by some security agents for President John Mahama in Accra last Saturday when the second phase of the December 7 general elections were going on.

Narrating his ordeal to DAILY GUIDE, the victim whose name has been withheld for security reasons, said he traveled from Koforidua to Accra to meet a friend who had given him conflicting directions and therefore lost his way.

“Upon reaching the Shell Petrol Station near the Gulf House on the George Bush Motorway, I turned towards a rough road behind the station and as I climbed the hill, I entered a space where there are summer huts and I saw fully armed security men including soldiers, police and plain-clothed men.

“I saw them thumb-printing ballot papers for President Mahama and they quickly rushed on me and the occupant in the front seat and handcuffed us without any explanation and started searching our car,” he claimed.

He said the security agents did not even allow them to explain why they were there but told them that they (victims) were trespassing and the agents were going to deal with them.

After ransacking the car and finding nothing incriminating, the marauding officers saw NPP’s sticker for free SHS on the dashboard and quickly bundled them into a waiting patrol vehicle and drove them to the BNI headquarters near the Ghana Immigration Service.

“Immediately we entered a hall, they asked us to undress and wear their attires meant for detainees and they would not allow us to even reach our family members. They seized our phones, car and everything we had for no reason.”

“They did not give us food or medicine for Saturday and on Sunday they sent us to the BNI office near the 37 Military Hospital for interrogation after which they took us back to the BNI headquarters.”

He said he spent another night in cell until Monday when he was lucky to be given the chance to make a phone call to a relative to bail him.

“They did not charge me. They did not arrest me with any offence but detained me and they say they respect human rights.”

He said at the BNI offices, there are a lot of people detained there without charge and they are all crying for justice.

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