Koku Anyidoho charged with treason

• Posted on March 27, 2018March 27, 2018
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Police Criminal Investigations Department has charged the deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress Koku Anyidohu with treason, and refused bail.

His lawyer, Victor K. Adawudu confirmed the charge on TV3’s News360 almost 8 hours after the Police CID in Accra picked Anyidoho up for interrogation over comments he made suggesting an imminent coup d’état in the country.

“We’ve been told that he’s being investigated for treason” he said, indicating his client was then made to give a statement on the matter after which he was charged but was declined bail.

“After the statement the police are telling us they’ve not received instructions to bail [Koku Anyidoho]. We don’t really work with instruction. What does the law say?” his lawyer told Alfred Ocansey.

Mr. Adawuda questioned why the police are waiting for instructions to decide whether grant them bail or otherwise.

“After statement its either you take bail or you tell us you’re not granting us bail for reason ABC and if you want to charge us for court, charge us but you don’t say you waiting for instructions to grant bail that means the instructions come from somewhere; a political authority and we will not allow that to happen in this country,” he said.

“We are all here until they tell us they will grant us bail or they will not grant us bail. We will not succumb. We are ready, let the guns fly we will stand,” he added

The NDC firebrand, Koku Anyidoho, suggested in a radio interview Monday, March 26 that there would be ‘civil revolt’ and ‘civilian coup d’état’ in the country from Wednesday, March 28.

His comment, which has since gone viral, was widely been condemned by some Ghanaians.

Plain-clothed officers later Tuesday afternoon picked up Anyidoho at the Accra International Press Centre where he and others were addressing journalists.

He is currently being interrogated at the Police CID headquarters in Accra.

General secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu has since Tuesday stated Anyidoho’s comments do not reflect the position of the party. Speaking on TV3’s Midday Live Tuesday, Mr. Asiedu Nketia said the comments only remains the opinion of Anyidoho and do not in any way represent that of the party which lost power in the 2016 general elections.

NDC should condemn Anyidoho – Gov’t

But the government issued a statement later to state it is not enough for the National Democratic Congress to distance itself from the ‘treasonable’ comments without condemning same.

Information Minister Dr. Mustapha Hamid who signed and issued the satatement said the government is “concerned that the NDC does not condemn the treasonable comments of Anyidoho”.

“We find the NDC’s reluctance to condemn Anyodoh as particularly disturbing”, he said.

The statement said the coup, which Anyidoho said, would begin Wednesday coincides with a demonstration which has received NDC’s endorsement.

“It is therefore important that the NDC demonstrates its commitment to democratic governance by showing that the Wednesday demonstration is not a smoke screen for fomenting insurrection as Anyidoho claims,” the statement said.

Government has thus called on the NDC to show commitment by unreservedly condemning what it described as “treasonable comments” by Anyidoho.

It assured that appropriate steps would be taken within the law, to protect the security of the state.

“Government assures the citizens, that it will take appropriate steps within the bounds of law, to protect the security of the state,” it concluded.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah