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The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has voluntarily turned himself in to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service following a failed attempt by National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) operatives to execute a search warrant at his residence.
The dramatic incident occurred on May 23, when heavily armed national security operatives stormed Wontumi’s Kumasi home with a court-approved search warrant. However, the operation was halted after Wontumi raised an alarm that attracted a crowd of supporters, creating a standoff between the operatives and his legal team.
The impasse eventually ended with an agreement for Wontumi to report himself to the police on Monday, May 26. True to the agreement, he presented himself to authorities, accompanied by his lawyers.
The move comes amid allegations that Wontumi is involved in illegal mining operations linked to his company, Akonta Mining. The state has intensified efforts to investigate the activities of the company, following the recent termination of its mining lease by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah.
Wontumi, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, is challenging the cancellation of the lease in court.
Reacting to the raid, his lawyer and Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, expressed outrage over the manner of the operation. “When somebody is asleep and a team of about 20 fully armed security personnel confronts you in the early morning like that, that in itself can constitute a breach,” he argued.
However, Deputy Minister for the Interior, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, defended the operation, emphasizing that the security agencies acted lawfully. “They should go to court if they think that what is going on is wrong. But that will not stop the security services from doing their duty,” he stated.
