The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, commonly known as Chairman Wontumi, is scheduled to appear before the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service today, Monday, May 26, 2025. This development follows a failed attempt by a joint team of National Security operatives and police officers to arrest him at his residence on Friday, May 23.
The attempted arrest prompted a rapid response from NPP supporters, who gathered at Chairman Wontumi’s home to protest. The crowd grew larger throughout the morning, voicing their discontent over the presence of heavily armed security personnel surrounding the property. While the reason behind the security operation remains unclear, Chairman Wontumi has reportedly assured the officers that he will honour their invitation and present himself to the CID today.
His lawyer, Kwame Adom Appiah, speaking to Citi News, confirmed that they are ready to cooperate with the police. “We are practising democracy. Wontumi is not someone who can hide from the cameras. He is not someone who is going to run away. He has investments in Ghana, and he is not going to go anywhere. If you want him any time or day, you are going to get him. They have asked us to appear today, so we will go wherever we are asked to,” he said.
“We have not done anything criminal, and we are not afraid of getting to them,” he added. Meanwhile, the Deputy Interior Minister, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, defended the attempted arrest and the approach used. He insists that the operation was justified and conducted in accordance with national security protocols. Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Friday, May 23, Terlabi dismissed suggestions of political motivation, stating that the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) acted within its mandate.
“The National Security will not go to Wontumi’s house without a reason. They went there with a reason. So let us allow the security personnel to do their job, because at the end of the day, what we need in this country is peace,” he said. Addressing claims by Wontumi that the operation was an attempt to harass or harm him, Terlabi pushed back, describing the NPP chairman’s remarks as a distraction. “He is just playing the victim. Nobody wants to kill Wontumi, and they did not go there to kill him. They went there to invite him. If you are to go and catch a wild dog, you do not go there without arming yourself,” he added.
By: Sammi Wiafe
