Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has criticized the arrest and remand of a Techiman‑based nurse, Salomey Bafoh Awiti, describing the incident as a troubling infringement on free speech.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dr. Bawumia recounted how Awiti, a mother of three including a four‑year‑old child, was allegedly picked up in the middle of the night by national intelligence officers and remanded for two weeks on suspicion of abetting the publication of false news.
“This is not the Ghana we want to build,” he wrote, assuring citizens that under his leadership, intelligence agencies would not be reduced to chasing individuals for insulting the President or other political figures.
While disavowing a politics of insults, Dr. Bawumia stressed that free speech — even when unpalatable — remains the foundation of Ghana’s democracy. He warned that selective application of laws, where some citizens are punished while others walk free, undermines national cohesion and pushes democracy backwards.
He urged the government to release Awiti and others similarly charged, emphasizing that Ghana’s democratic progress depends on protecting civil liberties. “God bless our homeland Ghana and help us to resist oppressors’ rule,” he concluded.
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