‘Apostle’ Kwabena Owusu Agyei (left) and his interviewer
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has invited the General Manager of Hot FM, a private radio station in Accra, whose reporters were interviewing Wee Tramadol NDC ‘Apostle’ Kwabena Owusu Agyei when the National Security operatives swooped on them and picked up the so-called prophet.
The letter signed by Deputy CID Boss Barima Tweneboah Sasraku II said “the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service presents its compliment to the management of Hot 93.9FM. On 9/06/2020, Mr. Isaac Darko Boamah, Mr. Awal Saeed Mohammed and a certain ‘Gargantuan Lady’ hosted and interviewed suspect Apostle Kwabena Owusu Agyei on Isaac Darko Boamah’s Facebook Live page in which the interviewee was heard insulting certain personalities including Mrs. Jean Mensa, Chairperson for the Electoral Commission.
“It would be appreciated if you could release the host of the show, Mr. Isaac Darko Boamah, Mr. Awal Saeed Mohammed and the said lady to report to Superintendent/IU at the CID headquarters, 4th floor Room 13, on Monday, 15/06/2020 at 1000 hours to assist investigations.”
The letter directed the reported to “contact Superintendent Joseph Edwards on 0246238706 for further information” should the need arise.
Arrest Drama
The 56-year-old ‘apostle’, who claims to be the founder and leader of Hezekiah Apostolic Prayer Ministry, was remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly threatening to kill the chairperson of the EC.
He was charged with three counts of issuing death threat, offensive conduct to the breach of peace, and possession of narcotic drug after he was picked up on Tuesday by National Security operatives while he was on a ranting spree on Hot FM.
Wee Found
The charge of possession of narcotic drug was included because when he was arrested, the National Security operatives allegedly found compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp or Marijuana, aka Wee, in his side pocket.
The movie-script style security operation was executed just when the suspect appeared to have reached the climax of his vitriolic outbursts in his house near Greda Estates, Indomie Junction, at Nungua in Accra.
Urine Analysis
The report purported to be urine analysis of suspect Kwabena Owusu Agyei has gone viral, and it shows that he tested positive for Tramadol and likewise for tetrahydrocannabinol.
The latter is consistent with Indian hemp or Cannabis Sativa, a quantity of which was allegedly found on him during a routine search on his body after his arrest.
According to the laboratory report, the suspect, however, tested negative for other substances such as opiates.
His positive tests for the aforementioned substances debunk the NDC position that the Indian hemp found on his body was planted by the security agents, with traces of the stuff having been found in his urine.
Occasionally wiping the balls of perspiration from his forehead and adjusting himself on the plastic chair on which he sat, he insulted the EC Chairperson, Kennedy Agyapong, NPP Chairman Freddie Blay, and even the Daily Guide, some of the words too harsh to be repeated.
There was no letup in his ranting which was being beamed live on Facebook when four persons immediately turned up as if waiting for him to make one of his infamous remarks.
Arrest Warrant
One of them dangled a document which obviously authorized them to effect the arrest of the so-called apostle.
He was visibly deflated as the following eerie words rang through the portion of his house where the recording was taking place: “We are from the National Security and we have a warrant to arrest you.”
One of the operatives reached out to him to physically get him to stand up, but he managed a “don’t touch me” caution even as he eventually gave up to the awesome authority of the state.
He was taken to one of the three Toyota V8 Land Cruisers waiting outside in an uncomfortable harbour-hook mode.
A lady from Hot FM who was filming the interview overwhelmed by the swiftness of the action could not help holding her sentiments, with ‘oh no, how’, ‘let us get their numbers’ incessantly ringing out from her gaping mouth.
If she had her way, she would have stopped the arrest so the ranting could go on and on. Perhaps she did not understand the implication of the defamation-laden ranting.
Coded Location
His host on the Hot FM programme, in an obvious effort to conceal details of their location, kept referring to the place as a ‘coded location’ before the operatives zoomed in on them.
If he sought to outwit security operatives by this, he got it all wrong because no sooner had he reached the climax of his ranting than the National Security operatives descended upon them with the warrant of arrest.
Technology enabled the operatives to lock on their location which reportedly turned out to be the residence of the suspect who is currently in National Security custody, awaiting processing.
Radio Commentary
As he was whisked away, his guest, the radio presenter, and his colleagues ran a commentary of the arrest until the vehicles disappeared from the lenses of the camera into the distance.
There was a frantic effort to scribble the registration numbers of the vehicles by some of the technicians who accompanied the presenter to the suspect’s residence.
By Ernest Kofi Adu