Private Legal Practitioner Martin Kpebu was detained for nearly five hours by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on December 3, following allegations of obstructing an officer of the Special Prosecutor. He has since been released.
Mr. Kpebu was arrested after a verbal altercation with a military officer at the OSP premises. Speaking to the media after his release, he described the detention as unnecessary and maintained his innocence. “I know I have not done anything wrong, so I will be released,” he said.
He recounted that the dispute began when the military officer called him “stupid,” to which he responded in kind. Mr. Kpebu suggested that his arrest reflects poorly on the competence of the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, whom he intends to petition for removal from office, citing 15 allegations against him.
According to Marcellinus Biah, one of Mr. Kpebu’s lawyers, the events leading to the detention started when Mr. Kpebu granted an interview outside the OSP premises, which displeased an officer. A verbal exchange followed, but Mr. Kpebu proceeded to attend the inquiry. Later, he was informed he would be charged with obstructing an officer. Mr. Kpebu sought to file a complaint against the officer involved, but was told the complaint center was unavailable, so he presented the complaint to the inquiry board. During the proceedings, officials unexpectedly arrested Mr. Kpebu, who was later granted bail with a surety.
