Abronye DC
The Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, was hauled before court yesterday in the iconic Ghana Police Service ‘Black Maria’ mobile detention van, witnessed by a large expectant crowd.
What surprised many was the fact that he was the only person in the van which usually transports larger number of suspects to court.
Abronye DC was arrested on Monday after honouring an invitation by the police, following some controversial allegations he made against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno and the Acting Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Raymond Archer.
His hopes of going home on a pre-trial bail were dashed by the court, presided over by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, who remanded him into police custody to allow the police some time to conduct further investigation into the matter.
Abronye DC has been charged with one count of publication of false news and another count of ‘offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace.’
According to court documents, the NPP executive on September 3, 2025, during an online programme on Ohia.tv, made a statement with “the intent to cause fear and panic to the public” by claiming that, “all the strategic meetings conducted by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Akwatia had the IGP in attendance,” a statement he well knew to be false.
He is also accused of making and encouraging offensive and abusive statements against the IGP that, “the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tetteh Yohuno has low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and is the most foolish IGP in the history of Ghana.”
Court documents further claim that the accused had indicated that, “the current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tetteh Yohuno is the most corrupt IGP in the history of Ghana.”
This, the police say, constitutes a malicious conduct which is likely to provoke a breach of the peace.
Abronye DC, who appeared before the court in a white polo shirt and a brown khaki trouser, was calm as the charges were read to the court.
His plea was not taken by the court and no brief fact accompanied the charge sheet that was filed before the court.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye Okuffo, and Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer, strongly opposed an oral application by counsel for the accused for him to be granted bail pending the conclusion of investigation.
Chief Inspector Lawer told the court that granting Abronye DC bail at this stage of the proceedings would hamper the prosecution’s ability to investigate the matter.
“Accused was arrested yesterday (Monday, September 8), we don’t want to breach the 48-hour rule that is why we brought him before you (court), so that he can be remanded into custody so that we can conduct thorough investigation into this matter. For now, we are submitting that he should be remanded into lawful custody for further investigation,” he pleaded with the court.
He added that Abronye is a flight risk, pointing to the fact that the accused had written to several embassies and High Commissions in Ghana seeking political asylum.
“We are saying that if the accused person is granted bail, the chances of absconding are 100 percent. He should be remanded into police custody for us to conclude civilly, investigate and arraign him before you.”
Counsel for Abronye, Daniel Nii Martey Addo, pleaded with the court to grant the accused bail, arguing that “he is not and will never be a flight risk within the jurisdiction.”
He said the accused voluntarily and willingly attended police invitation extended to him, and he will in the same vein always make himself available to the court or when the police call on him.
Mr. Addo noted that Abronye had written the said letters to the various embassies before he was invited by the police yet, he honoured the invitation.
He added that the charges against the accused are misdemeanours, and suggested that the court can revoke the bail if the accused fails to attend court.
His Honour Acquah, after listening to both sides, remanded Abronye DC to reappear on September 12, 2025.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak