Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, is the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He is scheduled to appear before the Ghana Police Service’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today, Monday, May 26, 2025.
Last Friday, May 23, a team of police officers and National Security agents attempted to arrest him at his home but were unsuccessful.
Protesters from the NPP quickly reacted to the attempted arrest by swarming Chairman Wontumi’s home. Growing throughout the morning, the gathering denounced the heavily armed security guards who had ringed the property.
Chairman Wontumi reportedly promised the officers that he would accept their invitation and appear before the CID today, despite the fact that the reason for the security operation is yet unknown.
In an interview with Citi News, his attorney, Kwame Adom Appiah, affirmed that they are prepared to assist the police.
“We are practicing democracy. Wontumi is not someone who can hide from the cameras. He is not someone who is going to run away. He has investments in Ghana, and he is not going to go anywhere. If you want him any time or day, you are going to get him. They have asked us to appear today, so we will go wherever we are asked to,” he said.
“We have not done anything criminal, and we are not afraid of getting to them,” he added.
Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, the deputy interior minister, justified the strategy and the attempted arrest in the meantime.
He maintains that national security procedures were followed and that the action was warranted.
On Friday, May 23, Terlabi denied any political motivation in an interview with Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, saying the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) was acting in accordance with its mandate.
“The National Security will not go to Wontumi’s house without a reason. They went there with a reason. So let us allow the security personnel to do their job, because at the end of the day, what we need in this country is peace,” he narrated.
Terlabi retaliated, calling the NPP chairman’s comments a diversion to Wontumi’s accusations that the operation was an attempt to harass or hurt him.
“He is just playing the victim. Nobody wants to kill Wontumi, and they did not go there to kill him. They went there to invite him. If you are to go and catch a wild dog, you do not go there without arming yourself,” he added.
Source: newsthemegh.com