Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu was on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, arrested and detained for nearly five hours by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) after a confrontation with a military officer during an invitation to assist the OSP with evidence related to allegations he had earlier made against the institution.
Kpebu was later transferred to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) now the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) before being granted bail.
How the arrest happened
According to Kpebu, the confrontation began when he arrived at the OSP premises and had an altercation with a soldier stationed there.
He recounted that a soldier told him, “Next time when you come here, we will not allow you to go out,” to which he replied that the officer had no authority to restrict his movement since he had only been invited as a witness and was not under investigation.
Kpebu added that the exchange escalated when the soldier allegedly insulted him, “The soldier said I am stupid. So, I turned back and told him that he is also stupid.”
He said the confrontation prompted officers at the OSP to accuse him of obstructing a public officer.
Transfer to BNI (NIB)
Kpebu said he was unexpectedly taken away without being allowed to contact his family.
“I had no opportunity to call my wife and kids. They just bundled me,” he said.
He further noted that the soldier involved in the altercation was initially the same officer assigned to escort him after his arrest.
“Do you know who came to escort me? The first soldier who questioned me… So, I complained,”
he said, adding that the soldier was later asked to step down from the escort team.
At the BNI, he said all his details and belongings were taken as part of the detention process.
The bail controversy
Kpebu revealed that the OSP demanded that he provide a landed property as surety before being granted bail.
“They said they were admitting me to bail and I should bring a property in my name… Over what? A soldier insults me and I also reply ‘you are stupid’ and for that I should bring property in my name?”
His lawyers requested that he be given self-recognizance bail but the OSP insisted on property.
Because his office was nearby, he attempted to retrieve his property documents but was told the OSP needed to conduct verification checks.
Kpebu has been instructed to report back to the OSP on December 4, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. to finalize his bail conditions.
Concerns over who investigates the case
Kpebu also revealed internal disagreements during meetings at the OSP regarding who should investigate his allegations against the office.
He objected to the OSP assigning subordinate officers to investigate matters involving the Special Prosecutor himself.
“You are going to investigate your boss? It won’t happen… no matter how courageous the subordinates are.”
He added that using subordinates risked bias or perceptions of “eye service” and political pressure.
‘You’re Nobodies’ Insult, Lawyer on Rampage: OSP speaks on Martin Kpebu’s arrest and detention
Parliamentary reaction
The arrest has sparked significant criticism, including from Francis-Xavier Sosu, Member of Parliament for Madina and a human rights lawyer.
In an interview with TV3, Sosu condemned the arrest as a threat to civil liberties, “Any Ghanaian who is exercising his free right, who has not breached any law, cannot be subjected to what Martin has been subjected to. And for me, there is no way I will ever condone it.”
He called for the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee to summon the OSP, “This forms a very good basis for the Committee… to call the OSP back to Parliament and question the circumstances under which this happened.”
Sosu insisted that Parliament must act to protect citizens' rights, “Parliament is the house of the people. If you touch one, you touch all.”
What happens next
As of now, Martin Kpebu has been released but is required to return to the OSP on December 4 to complete his bail procedures.
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