A New Patriotic Party sympathizer who was picked up by the BNI over his critical writings against president John Mahama has said he was detained for 65 odd hours but was treated well nonetheless.
Far from being beaten, tortured or molested, Fadi Samih Daboussi said he was detained with a human face and that even when he went on hunger strike, the seemingly worried BNI officials pampered him in an effort to get him to eat.
He made the comment on Joy News analysis program Newsfile, Saturday.
Fadi, a fierce Mahama critic, was picked up on Friday at the Kotoka International Airport over some of his critical write ups.
He is believed to have written many critical stories one of which accused the president of fathering a baby with the daughter of the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, a story Kweku Baako Jnr insists is untrue and offensive.
He is also reported to have insinuated that president Mahama had a role to play in the death of the late president John Mills.
He has also authored a book about Ghana titled “59 years to nowhere.”
On his return to Ghana, Fadi was picked up at the airport, by the officials of the BNI, driven to his home which was subjected to a thorough search and later detained at the BNI premises where he was believed to have spent over the 48 hours contrary to the stipulated by law.
Even though many did not agree to the content of his write up, they nonetheless were appalled by the arbitrary arrest by the BNI.
On Joy FM’s newsfile program , the arrest of Fadi Samih Daboussi was a subject for discussion with the panelists sharing different opinions on the matter.
The New Patriotic Party’s Nana Akomea said the arrest was shameful and an affront on the civil liberties of the citizen.
The NDC panelist on the show George Loh defended the conduct of the BNI saying he had done his investigations and could say on authority that Fadi was never detained beyond the stipulated 48 hours accepted and was treated according to law.
That may have angered the NPP sympathiser who sent a text to the host Samson Lardy Anyenini claiming that he had been detained for over 65 hours. When he was called into the show, Fadi narrated how he was arrested.
“I was picked at the airport sent to the BNI office at the top, searched thoroughly, sent back home where my house was searched thoroughly as well and i was then locked up at the BNI..
He said he was arrested at 12:30pm Friday afternoon and released at 10:00pm Sunday night. According to him, he was only allowed access to his lawyers on Sunday around 5:00pm.
Commenting on the treatment meted out to him while in custody, Fadi said he was generally treated well even to the extent that when he declared a hunger strike, the officials showed concern and even pampered him to eat.
-myjoyonline