Old Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah petitions the Diplomatic Corps, accusing state security of “Rambo-style” raids and political intimidation — Sep 11, 2025.
Vincent Ekow Assafuah, the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has petitioned the Diplomatic Corps in Accra about what he claims is an increasing wave of political intimidation and persecution under President John Dramani Mahama.
The lawmaker claimed in a petition dated Thursday, September 11, 2025, that Ghana’s democracy is “at a dark crossroads” and that the president has turned state security forces into “political attack dogs” whose purpose is to silence opposition rather than defend civilians.
Assauah cited recent high-profile incidents involving young activists, opposition leaders, and former government officials as proof of what he called “Rambo-style raids” and arrests with political motivations.
He brought up the March 19, 2025, assault of Dr. Ernest Addison’s home—the former governor of the Bank of Ghana—calling it “no ordinary search but a show of brute force, a deliberate act of intimidation against a man who served this country with distinction.”
He also brought attention to the treatment of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, whose house was broken into by security guards while he was away, before the Office of the Special Prosecutor filed an Interpol red alert and labelled him a fugitive.
“Instead of lawful prosecution, we have witnessed a theatre of intimidation…not an act of justice but a calculated humiliation to break a man’s spirit and tarnish his legacy.”
Concerns were also voiced by the Old Tafo MP over raids on the residences of Rev. Ntim Fordjour, MP, and other political leaders, including the former vice president’s aide-de-camp. Alfred Ababio Kumi, also known as Adenta Kumi, media personality OKatakyie Afrifa-Mensah, and controversial social media figure Fante Comedy were among the outspoken youth voices he accused the government of suppressing.
“Your Excellency, politics, not justice, is what ties all these hardships together. Without respect for the law or human rights, the security forces have been transformed into political attack dogs.
“The presumption of innocence has been abandoned, court procedures are misused, and bail is weaponised.
National Security, EOCO, the police, and even the OSP are being coerced into supporting political agendas.
The goal is to combat criticism, not corruption.
“The message is loud and terrifying: in John Mahama’s Ghana, criticism equals crime and opposition equals danger,” he complained.
He cited the detention of NPP regional chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) and Bono regional chairman Kwame Baffoe (Abronye DC) to claim that even senior party leaders have not been spared.
Assafuah remarked of Chairman Wontumi, “His supposed crime is nothing more than being an uncompromising critic of this government.”
“The charge against him is nothing more than a misdemeanour, yet the weight of the state is being weaponised to crush a political opponent,” he claimed in reference to Abronye DC’s case.
“The developments have created a climate across the country,” the MP emphasised. “This isn’t the secure Ghana we were used to.
The foundation of our democracy is being undermined.
Ordinary people now whisper in their own houses out of fear, not knowing who might be listening, observing, or waiting to attack. Fear has become the new constitution.
Appealing directly to the Diplomatic Corps, Assafuah encouraged the world community to,”
- Take due note of these disturbing developments and their implications for Ghana’s democracy.
- Urge the Government of Ghana to immediately end the unlawful raids, arbitrary arrests and political persecution of citizens.
- Encourage respect for the rule of law, due process, and the protection of fundamental freedoms.
4. Support the Ghanaian people in defending democratic space against authoritarianism.
Your Excellency, the events we recount today are not isolated missteps; they are a grand political scheme to erase criticism and create a culture of fear.
“Ghana today teeters on the edge of authoritarianism disguised as democracy. We must resist this descent with every democratic tool available to us.”
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JU5TigD2f/?mibextid=wwXIfr
