Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticised the continued detention of Bono Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye, describing it as disproportionate to the nature of the charges against him.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen following the Accra Circuit Court’s decision to remand Abronye again on Friday, September 12, 2025, Mr. Kpebu emphasised that the offence—offensive conduct conducive to the breach of public peace—is a misdemeanour that does not warrant prolonged custody.
“In our laws, this is one of the lowest crimes. The maximum punishment is usually a fine, with the highest custodial sentence being three years. With such a charge, he should not be in custody for two weeks,” Kpebu stated.
He highlighted that under Section 96 of Ghana’s Criminal Procedure laws, judges must consider factors such as an accused person’s family ties, business interests, and likelihood to abscond before deciding on pre-trial detention.
“This is not really about the comments Abronye made, but about the law on detention for misdemeanours. We cannot let this continue, or else we will have no society,” he stressed.
Kpebu suggested that the police could return to court on Monday to update the judge on the progress of their investigations, which could pave the way for granting bail.
He compared Abronye’s situation to that of former NDC Deputy General Secretary Koku Anyidoho, who was detained in 2018 for alleged treasonable comments.
“When the same thing was done to Koku Anyidoho, I condemned it, and today I’m taking the same position,” he said, vowing to resist what he described as unfair pre-trial punishment.
Source: Gertrude Otchere
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