Lawyer Kpebu Recounts Arrest After Confrontation With Military Officer at OSP Premises
Renowned Ghanaian lawyer Martin Kpebu
Accra, Ghana- Renowned Ghanaian lawyer Martin Kpebu has detailed how what began as a verbal exchange with a military officer at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) spiraled into his arrest and overnight detention, an episode he describes as emblematic of growing tension between law enforcement agencies and citizens who challenge official conduct.
Speaking on JoyNews in an interview monitored by DM Media Online, Martin Kpebu said the incident occurred after he honored an OSP invitation to provide further information on corruption allegations he had made against Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng. According to him, the meeting marked his third such appearance before the OSP.
“I had finished granting an interview outside the building, like I did on the first two occasions,” he recounted. “Then a soldier suddenly called me ‘stupid.’ I told him he had no right to insult me, and I called him stupid too. That’s how it started.”
Lawyer Kpebu explained that his exchange with the soldier followed an earlier encounter with a police officer who had ordered journalists to move their cameras from the frontage of the OSP complex. After complying, he said, he returned to the premises only to be confronted by uniformed soldiers questioning his decision to speak to the press. “He said, ‘Next time you grant interviews here, I’ll show you power,’” Lawyer Kpebu recalled. “I asked what power he was talking about and why he would curtail my right to speak. That’s when he called me stupid.”
The lawyer maintains he reported the incident to OSP officials on site, including Chief of Staff Abraham Ablorh-Mensah and lawyer Albert Paddington. They promised to verify his complaint but, he said, returned roughly 45 minutes later to inform him of “counter-accusations” filed by the same soldiers.
Soon afterward, a police officer identified as Evans Opoku was introduced to effect his arrest. Lawyer Kpebu said the process was handled procedurally. “They said I was under arrest, not necessarily detention” but he was later taken to the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) around 7:30 p.m. and held until about 10 p.m. “There was no reason given for my release,” he said. “It was clear public pressure played a role, TV and social media were already calling for my freedom.”
The OSP has not issued an official statement on the matter. The agency, established under Act 959 to investigate corruption and related offenses, maintains a mixed security presence that includes both police and military officers, a practice critics say undermines police professionalism and confuses chains of command.
Martin Kpebu, known for his anti-corruption advocacy and legal commentary, insists the episode strengthens his resolve to demand institutional accountability. “What are soldiers doing at the OSP performing police duties?” he asked. “The Ghana Police Service must be allowed to grow under the Constitution.”
As of press time, the lawyer had resumed cooperation with investigators but said he would petition for an independent committee to review what he called “abuse of authority” during his arrest.
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