The Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), James Kwame Baffoe Abronye, widely known as Abronye DC, was on Tuesday arraigned before the Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, on charges of publication of false news and offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace.
Abronye DC, who arrived at the court in a Black Maria, under tight police escort, had his plea deferred upon the request of the prosecution team, led by Chief Inspector Ebenezer Teye Okuffo and Chief Inspector Jonas Lawer.
The court granted the prosecution’s prayer for remand, with the accused set to reappear on Friday, September 12, 2025.
According to the prosecution team, on September 3, 2025 during a live-streamed programme on Ohia TV, Abronye DC falsely alleged that “all the strategic meetings conducted by the NDC in Akwatia had the IGP in attendance.”
He further described the current Inspector General of Police, Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, as having a “low Intelligence Quotient (IQ)” and being “the most foolish and most corrupt IGP in the history of Ghana.”
The prosecution asserts that these statements were made with malicious intent and were likely to provoke breaches of public peace.
A forensic capture of the broadcast has been secured as evidence and the police say the video was later uploaded to Abronye’s TikTok account, under the username “@bawumiaty.”
Prosecution’s Argument
Chief Inspector Okuffo told the court that the nature of the allegations touch on national security and therefore warrant a thorough investigation.
He urged the court to remand the accused to allow investigators more time to conclude their work without violating the 48-hour constitutional detention limit.
Chief Inspector Lawer supported this stance, arguing that granting bail at this stage would “hamper the ability” of the police to investigate the matter.
He added that Abronye DC is a potential flight risk, alleging that the accused had previously written to various embassies seeking asylum and that, given Ghana’s porous borders the risk of absconding was high.
“If the accused is granted bail, the chances of absconding are 100%,” Lawer told the court.
Defence Response
In response, defence counsel Daniel Nii Martey Addo dismissed the claims, stating that Abronye DC voluntarily submitted himself to police upon invitation, and had shown no intention of fleeing the jurisdiction.
“The charges are misdemeanours. The accused is not and will never be a flight risk,” the defence counsel argued.
“The court should exercise its discretion in favour of the accused and grant bail under Section 96 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” defence counsel added.
Daniel Nii Martey Addo also contended that the prosecution’s opposition to bail was misconceived, noting that the alleged asylum letters were written prior to the accused’s arrest and that, his client would cooperate fully with both the court and law enforcement.
Court’s Decision
After hearing arguments from both sides, His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah ruled that Abronye DC be remanded into police custody to allow for uninterrupted investigations, particularly to stay within the constitutional 48-hour detention rule.
“The police have stated their intention to conduct a full investigation. The prosecution’s prayer will be granted,” the judge ruled.
Abronye DC will reappear before the court on Friday, September 12, 2025. The case stems from a viral video posted on social media where Abronye DC, during a live discussion made serious allegations against the Inspector General of Police and the opposition NDC.
The Ghana Police Service is the complainant in the matter.
