The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 Presidential Candidate, John Dramani Mahama, has urged the Ghana Police Service to promptly release Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region.
Mr. Mahama conveyed this appeal in a Facebook post on the evening of Friday, June 7, 2024.
“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.”
The detention of Madam Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor was initially brought to light by the NDC’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi.
Mr. Gyamfi stated that the police have not provided any reason for her arrest and subsequent detention. In a social media post, he characterized the situation as an effort to silence the NDC.
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 recognise 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.”
On Sunday, June 2, 2024, the Ghana Police Service announced that three individuals were arrested at Ofaakor for possessing a firearm without lawful authority.
The suspects, including Ms. Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, Mustapha Mohammed, and Abdul Aziz Musah, were apprehended while traveling in a Honda CRV with registration number GX-2044-19 near the Electoral Commission Office at Ofaakor. During the arrest, a pump-action gun with four rounds of ammunition was seized from the vehicle.
In an interview on Wednesday, June 5, Ms. Okunor clarified that she was invited by the police rather than formally arrested. She stressed that the firearm found in her car was legally licensed and explained that she obtained it for self-protection against the incumbent NPP MP and Minister for Fisheries, Hawa Koomson.
Ms. Okunor claimed that the police had failed to protect her during previous altercations, where the MP allegedly attacked her and even 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.
Prior to the arrest related to firearm possession, a clash between NDC and NPP supporters occurred at the EC’s office in Ofaakor during the ongoing votes transfer exercise. This altercation resulted in the stabbing of Ato Koomson, son of the incumbent MP and Minister for Fisheries, Hawa Koomson, who was subsequently hospitalized. The suspect involved in the stabbing has also been arrested and detained.
It remains unclear whether the subsequent arrest of the NDC Parliamentary Candidate is connected to the stabbing incident or solely pertains to the firearm possession charge.