Madina MP Alleges Police Concoction To Unlawfully Arrest Him

The Member of Parliament for Madina, Hon Francis Xavier Sosu, has accused the Police of conjuring allegations that he led a road blockading demonstration in his constituency.

He makes the accusation in a statement he released Tuesday, responding to the Police’s claim that he led the illegal blockading of roads by his constituents who had embarked on a demonstration over the poor state of roads in the constituency

“I want to place on record that this is the first time the Ghana Police Service is disclosing the reason for their invitation and their attempted unlawful arrest,” Sosu charged.

“That any allegation of the Police about my involvement in an unlawful blockade of road and destruction of public property is false and an afterthought carefully manufactured by the police to shift the attention of the people of Ghana from the key issues of bad roads raised by our protest and demonstration,” he wrote.

The response is coming in the wake of the Speaker of Parliament summoning two officers before Parliament’s Privileges Committee over the attempt to arrest the MP who was engaged in his responsibilities as a Legislator and whose arrest at the time was illegal because of Parliamentary immunity.

The Madina MP, together with some youth of his constituency, had embarked on a protest from Otinibi to Ayi-Mensah over the atrocious state of roads there. 

The demonstration had started peacefully but would later become violent.

According to the MP, he had urged his angry constituents to simmer down but after he had addressed his constituents, the Police demanded that he reports to the Regional Commander of Police for questioning.

He declined the invitation and indicated that he was to attend a parliamentary meeting in preparation for the resumption of the House. 

In response, the police officers attempted to forcefully arrest him in the presence of his constituents, a thing that the constituents resisted.

 Hon. Sosu would later report his ordeal to the Speaker of Parliament who has since summoned two of the officers who harassed the MP while one Inspector Daniel Agbavor has been interdicted.

But the Police have since released a statement claiming that they never intended to arrest the Legislator. Hon. Sosu has called their denial which was made in an earlier statement, a lie. 

“It is sad to note that the Police again are lying about their attempt to arrest me on October 31, 2021, at the Believers Prayer Ministries in Madina. The Police indeed were there with men who claimed they were from the IGP’s Office,” MP’s statement said.