We would like to inform our readers that the Ghana Police Service has officially confirmed the arrest of Oliver Barker-Vormawor, the convener of the Democracy Hub protest. Barker-Vormawor was taken into custody on Monday, September 23, 2024, due to his alleged involvement in unlawful acts during the group’s demonstration on September 21-22.
Initially, the police had issued a statement declaring him wanted, but Barker-Vormawor denied being in hiding and dismissed the allegations as "baseless and misleading" in a Facebook post.
The police statement highlighted that Barker-Vormawor’s arrest was in connection to “various unlawful acts” committed at the 37 Intersection in Accra. This development follows the arrest of two additional protesters from the Democracy Hub on the same day.
These two individuals had been peacefully demonstrating near the 37 Lorry Station, holding placards and voicing their concerns regarding illegal mining, a central issue driving the protest. Despite standing on the pavement for over an hour, they boldly stepped forward to directly confront the police before being promptly arrested.
Their arrest brings the total number of detained protesters over the three days to 44. The men defiantly declared, “You can arrest more of us, but even if only two of us remain, we will stand up against illegal mining.”
We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available.
-By Tetteh Belinda | GhanaCrimes
