Prince Ganaku, a member of the legal team for the Democracy Hub, has accused the Ghana Police Service of unlawfully arresting over 46 individuals during a three-day protest against the government’s handling of the economic crisis and illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
Ganaku claimed that the police have refused to provide a complete list of those arrested, forcing members of the protest group to search the streets of Accra to locate their missing colleagues.
In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Citi FM’s *Eyewitness News*, Ganaku also alleged that the detainees are being held in various cells across the country, denied access to legal counsel, and are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, September 23.
“In our attempt to secure bail for them, we engaged with the police, but they declined to provide us with the list of those arrested. We were told, and I quote the police, ‘to go and roam the streets of Accra, and if we find them, fine. If we don’t find them, fine,’” he explained.
Ganaku further claimed that there was an order from higher authorities preventing the arrested protesters from receiving legal representation. “We heard there was an order from above that they should not allow those arrested to have access to legal representation. They have been taken to different locations, and the information we have is that they will be detained and arraigned in court tomorrow. These are all deliberate measures to punish the people.”
“We only know what the police have told us. While we know where some individuals are being held, we do not have an accurate count of the total number of those arrested,” Ganaku added.
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