By: KALD | Voltaonlinegh.com|
An 80-year retired educationist, Mr. Edward Nyarko has regained his freedom after he was reportedly detained without charges by the Kadjebi Police for allegedly speaking against the creation of the proposed Oti Region.
Reports suggested the old man was picked up by the police at about 8:00am on Thursday after he was reportedly heard at a popular joint in the Kadjebi Township, condemning the creation of the proposed region, describing the move as unnecessary.
His son who corroborated the story to Accra based Citi FM, claimed the police told them his father was arrested on the instructions of the District Chief Executive, Maxwell Kofi Asiedu and efforts to get him released have proven futile.
According to him, “We don’t know what crime he has committed. Only the station commander came and told my brother that he is being brought there and detained for speaking against the proposed Oti Region. The Old man is still at Police custody there since morning. We’ve all been there to check on him. The station commander said he cannot do anything about it.”
This claim was however discounted by the DCE, who told the same radio station that the old man was rather arrested for championing the agenda of a secessionist group, which is clamoring for an independent Western Togoland state in the Volta region.
Nonetheless, after almost 12 hours in police custody, the man has been discharged by the police at about 10:00pm on Thursday.
This arrest comes on the back of the reports of alleged intimidation and manhandling of some ‘No’ vote campaigners in the Oti enclave.
Voltanlinegh.com learnt of an incident last week, where a man was reportedly accosted on his motorbike by the youth of Katanga in the Krachi East municipality and taken to a chief’s palace for allegedly distributing ‘Vote NO Oti region’ stickers in the area.
The Electoral Commission is set to conduct referendum in all six proposed new regions in the country, including the Oti region on Thursday, 27th December 2018.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com