Lawyer and activist Martin Kpebu has attributed the recent Democracy Hub protest on illegal mining, also known as galamsey, to the police’s failure to act on petitions filed against the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Bosiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, on his alleged involvement in galamsey.

Speaking on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, Mr. Kpebu held the police responsible for creating the conditions that led to the demonstration. “This entire issue of arresting these 40 of our fellow citizens is the result of the police service’s actions. They caused it all,” Kpebu emphasized.

He recalled how two years ago, he, alongside others, reported Chairman Wontumi to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), but no concrete action followed. “We reported Chairman Wontumi to the police CID boss, Madam Faustina Andoh-Kwofie, and IGP Dampare himself. There were two petitions. It wasn’t just me; there were four of us: myself, Engineer Kenneth Acebe, Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, and Edem Senanu. We reported Chairman Wontumi for illegal galamsey in the Tano Nimiri forest, the destruction, etc., to Madam Andoh-Kwofie, who is the CID boss,” he noted.

Mr. Kpebu further expressed his disappointment over the inaction of the authorities despite having submitted two petitions. “Two petitions were submitted. IG referred their petition to Madam Andoh-Kwofie. Yet, IG, Madam Andoh-Kwofie, and the lead investigator, Superintendent Inkoom, due to political interference, deliberately dragged their feet on it,” he stated.

He believes that had the case been prosecuted, it would have set a strong example for others. “If they had taken the Wontumi case to court, Wontumi, who is the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, it would have sent a message to others. When you see the powerful being prosecuted, the smaller offenders will step back. They would run away because they see that it’s the big players being held accountable.”

According to Mr. Kpebu, the police’s failure to act on these petitions has fostered a culture of impunity, allowing illegal activities to thrive. “They didn’t prosecute. And there are other cases that the police have neglected. So, this impunity, this culture of impunity, that the police have helped President Akufo-Addo to create, is what eventually led our citizens to protest,” he argued.

He also criticized how the police handled the detained protesters, accusing them of infringing on their rights. “You didn’t allow them to see their lawyers, which is against the constitution. You didn’t allow them access to their lawyers or their families, also against the Constitution. And then, you failed to take them to court within 48 hours,” Mr. Kpebu explained, stressing that the police violated clear constitutional mandates. “The Supreme Court has already ruled that 48 hours is 48 hours. It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekend or a public holiday.”

Mr. Kpebu further pointed out that this ruling had been in place since 2019, following a case he himself took to court. “That was in 2019. I brought that case to court, and Chief Justice Ennin Yeboah outlined the necessary guidelines. If someone is arrested, even if the 48 hours elapse over a weekend, you have no excuse; you must take them to court,” he stated.