The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for 2024, John Dramani Mahama, has urged the Ghana Police Service to release Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, the NDC’s parliamentary candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region, who is now in detention.
“I urge the IGP to urgently reconsider his actions and release Naa Koryoo immediately for the sake of justice and the stability of our nation,” stated Mr. Mahama in a Facebook post on Friday evening, June 7.
Mahama warns IGP over detention of Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor
Sammy Gyamfi, the National Communications Officer for the NDC, was the one who initially broke the news of Madam Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor’s arrest. Mr. Gyamfi claims that the police have not explained Madam Phyllis Naa Koryoo Okunor’s arrest or subsequent detention.
In a post on his social media page, he described the development as an attempt to silence the NDC.
Giving more details, Sammy Gyamfi explained, “Her offence is simply that a weapon (gun) was found in her car. The said weapon is registered in her name. All the necessary registration documents have been submitted to the Police.
“Unlike, Hawa Koomson who in 2020 actually fired a gun at a registration center, Naa Koryoo has not fired any gun or weapon. Yet, the …Police service is hell-bent on detaining her.”
He urged all party faithful to throng the Cantonments Police Station in Accra where Naa Koryoo Okunor has been detained.
The following public commentary on the arrest came from Mr John Mahama, the party’s 2024 flagbearer and former president, who said: “There is no justification for the decision by the Inspector General of Police George Dampare, on the orders of the National Security Advisor, Albert Kan Dapaah, to detain a Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in Police custody.”
This action, taken on the instructions of the National Security Secretariat, will needlessly raise the political temperature in the country and spark avoidable tension.
The Police Service and the IGP must not allow themselves to be used to hang the peace and stability of our nation months before crucial national elections. I call on the IGP, the Peace Council, the government, and the people of Ghana to recognize that justice is not just a moral imperative but a crucial prerequisite for maintaining peace and stability in a nation.”
We cannot allow the police service to be used to stifle opposition and intimidate innocent Ghanaians and political opponents in the run-up to the 2024 elections.
Clearly, the intention to detain her after she had already been granted bail is an attempt to intimidate the NDC Parliamentary candidate in her quest to unseat the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hawa Koomson, in the Awutu Senya East Constituency.
“It is high time the police fulfilled their duty to serve and protect all citizens, irrespective of their political affiliations. #JusticeForNaaKoryoo. #FreeNaaKoryooNow.”
Background
According to a statement released by the Ghana Police Service on Sunday, June 2, 2024, three people were detained in Ofaakor for unlawful firearm possession. The suspects, who included Abdul Aziz Musah, Mustapha Mohammed, and Ms. Okunor, were captured while riding in a Honda CRV with license plate GX-2044-19 close to the electoral commission office in Ofaakor.
Four rounds of ammo for a pump-action gun were taken out of the car during the arrest. On Wednesday, June 5, Ms. Okunor emphasized in an interview that she was not legally detained, but rather invited by the police.
She restated that the gun discovered in her vehicle had a valid license. She added that she bought the rifle to defend herself against the current NPP MP and Minister for Fisheries, Hawa Koomson, because the police had failed to protect her in previous altercations where the MP allegedly attacked her and in some cases fired gunshots.
“I have never been arrested. Yes, I was invited to the police station. I was not arrested. I was there because I had to go there.
“My driver was arrested, and my security guard was arrested because a licensed gun was found in my car…It was far away from the registration centre,” she said.
Before the arrest over the possession of a gun, a clash between the NDC and the NPP at the EC’s office at Ofaakor in the ongoing votes transfer exercise had led to the stabbing of Ato Koomson, the son of the incumbent MP and Minister of Fisheries, Hawa Koomson, who was hospitalised. The suspect in that stabbing incident has also been arrested and detained.
It’s unclear whether the NDC Parliamentary Candidate’s subsequent arrest is related to the stabbing incident or rather the possession of a gun.