By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, May 18, 2026 – The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the immediate release of its Bono Regional Chairman, Mr Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC.
The party also questioned the legal basis of his continued detention following his remand into the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) custody.
Addressing a press conference in Accra on Sunday, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, described the arrest, prosecution and remand of Abronye DC as unconstitutional and urged the Judiciary to safeguard civil liberties.
Abronye was on May 13 arraigned at an Accra Circuit Court on charges of offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace and publication of false news.
The charges are linked to comments he allegedly made in a social media video concerning a Circuit Court Judge.
The court subsequently remanded him into BNI custody.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, at the press conference, said the party disagreed with the decision to deny the accused bail, arguing that the offences preferred against him were “misdemeanours.”
He questioned the rationale for remanding Abronye DC into the custody of a state intelligence agency instead of a regular remand facility.
The Minority Leader raised concerns over what he said was the absence of a signed and certified remand order several days after the court proceedings.
“As I understand it, on the basis of information available to me at the time of this statement, no signed and certified remand order has been produced by the court registry,” he stated.
He said counsel for Baffoe had visited the court registry on several occasions but was yet to obtain the document authorising the detention.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the production of a remand order was a constitutional requirement and called on the Ghana Police Service, the BNI and the court to clarify the circumstances surrounding the detention.
He further indicated that the NPP’s legal team would challenge the prosecution in court, particularly the application of Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act to political speech.
The Minority Leader said Ghana’s legal framework already provided civil remedies for defamation and reputational disputes and cautioned against the use of criminal prosecution in such matters.
He appealed to civil society organisations, the media and the legal fraternity to defend constitutional freedoms and due process.
Mr Afenyo-Markin urged the High Court to take urgent cognisance of the matter, including concerns over the remand process.
The NPP further called on Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to invite the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of the BNI to account for decisions taken in the case.
The party maintained that Abronye DC’s continued detention was unjustified and reiterated its demand for his immediate release.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Edward Acquah
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