A private legal practitioner, Nana Obiri Boahen, has filed a writ at the Sunyani High Court in the Bono Region, praying the court to commit the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and eight other police personnel to prison.
The others are the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Joseph Gyamerah Oklu, the Bono Regional Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Gyasi and Chief Inspector Mohammed Mustapha.
The rest are DSP Peter Owusu, Chief Superintendent Solomon Korli, as well as police personnel Alhaji Shaibu, Bernard Asare and Emmanuel Kpodo.
On Tuesday, the court presided by Justice Harry Acheampong Poku granted a “motion on notice for contempt filed by the applicant by way of substituted service by posting copies at the notices of the High Court, the Ghana Police Service headquarters and the Bono Regional Police Command.”
The plaintiff prayed the court to commit the respondents to prison for their “contumacious, gross disrespect of law and order to the decision or orders contained in the judgment of a circuit court,” delivered on July 28, 2022, by Justice Sylvester Nii Okine Ablorh.
Now an accompanying affidavit filed by a Sunyani-based legal firm, explained the plaintiff mounted an action before the Circuit Court against DSP Gyasi, who used to “harass, intimidate, bully my agents who operate from my self-acquired land always clad in his police uniform.”
“That unable to countenance the insubordination of the DSP Gyasi and his cohorts, I mounted the action against the said DSP Gyasi before the Circuit Court in which the matter travelled through a full trial and judgement was delivered,” it stated.
The affidavit said the plaintiff later filed an “entry of judgment” and to “put DSP Gyasi and all those hiding behind to unleash violence, intimidation on my agents, privies, assigns, my counsel wrote a letter and notified the respondents.”
“Almost all the respondents were duly served with the letter by way of EMS,” it added, saying that notwithstanding, “the respondents have disregarded the judgment and have been consistently harassing, intimidating, bullying, arresting and detaining my agents who have gone unto my land which the honourable court has ruled in my favour.”
The affidavit explained, “On February 27, 2023, one Kofi Peprah, Kwadwo Takyi and Kwame Nkrumah were sent to demarcate some lines on my land and in the process some of the respondents caused their arrests and detained them at the Municipal Police cells, Sunyani overnight.”
It said “Some of the respondents always insist that the IGP has instructed them to defy all the court orders and thereby treated the court orders with disdain,” it said, adding “On the instructions of the IGP, some of the respondents arrested and detained one Douglas Addo, who was asked to go and mould blocks on February 15, 2023.”
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