Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused EOCO of cruel treatment toward Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, following his arrest and continued detention.
In an impassioned plea during a Minority-led protest at EOCO’s premises, Afenyo-Markin suggested that Wontumi’s deteriorating health was being ignored in what he described as an orchestrated campaign of persecution.
“The man is sick. He’s at the sick bay. They want him to die, then they mourn him,” Afenyo-Markin said, decrying the agency’s approach to the embattled NPP chairman’s situation.
While affirming that due process must be followed, he insisted that justice must be accompanied by basic human dignity.
“I’m not saying that if Wontumi has done anything, don’t take him through due process. No. Don’t harass him. Don’t persecute him,” he stated.
Afenyo-Markin also hinted at regional bias, claiming that Wontumi’s treatment might differ if he hailed from another part of the country or under a different political regime.
“If Wontumi were to come from another region… if it were to be MPP that was in power, and a regional chairman of a certain region had been arrested, we would have heard what the NDC would say,” he argued.
He extended a personal appeal to President John Mahama, urging him to rein in overzealous officials within his administration.
“It’s my humble appeal to President Mahama. To call those hawks to order. He should give them a new code of conduct… That if you treat him humanely, it will not stop you from investigating,” Afenyo-Markin said.
