A close source to the Ghana Police Service has told GhanaWeb that the Greater Accra Regional Commander, COP Dr. Sayibu Pabi Gariba, has been queried over his handling of protesters on Thursday, September 21, 2023.
Protesters with the #OccupyJulorBiHouse were manhandled, arrested and assaulted by the police on the first day of their three days protest after they claimed that the group, led by Democracy Hub, had defied an injunction on them not to proceed with their protests.
Among the people arrested were local and international journalists (including the BBC), in what was an unprovoked action by the protesters, who had only gathered at their convergence point in front of the 37 Trotro Station in Accra.
In an attempt to follow up with colleagues and other suspects mistakenly picked up by the police at the Regional Headquarters in Accra, the police again arrested and manhandled a number of people, including Metro TV journalist Bridget Otoo, whose dress was ripped off in the process.
The police, thereafter, issued a statement to debunk several of the claims made, including the fact that they had arrested journalists.
The BBC’s journalist in Ghana, Thomas Naadi, however, confirmed, with video evidence, that he had indeed been arrested alongside other journalists on the day.
Speaking to GhanaWeb on Monday, September 25, 2023, the close police source said that since that incident, the Regional Commander, Dr. Sayibu Pabi Gariba, has been queried.
“The Greater Accra regional police commander has been queried by POMAB over his handling of protesters on Thursday,” the source said.
Defying all intimidations to bring their protests to an end, the Democracy Hub, led by Oliver Barker-Vormawor, were relentless, attracting thousands on the last day, Saturday, September 23, 2023, although they were unsuccessful in reaching the Jubilee House.
However, the protest received global attention, with several big names supporting it, including the former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor.
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