Ernesto Yeboah granted bail after vigil arrest

The Leader of the Economic Fighters League, Ernesto Yeboah who was arrested by the police for organising a vigil in memory of murdered Black American, George Floyd, has been granted bail after spending a night in police cells.

He was picked up in the middle of the vigil by armed police and military personnel at the Black Star Square where the event was being held.

According to the police, the gathering was in breach of the Public Order Act, which requires that the police is notified at least five days before public gathering such as protest is held.

But Mr. Yeboah was heard in a video that shows his arrest, saying they were only having a Black Lives Matter vigil and not protest.

The political activist had noted that the vigil was against police brutality amid similar protests in the USA after killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.

His arrest comes just a day after Ghana held an event in remembrance of the African American on Friday at the Diaspora African Forum (Dubois Centre) in Accra.

Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street; two other officers further restrained Floyd while a fourth prevented onlookers from intervening.

Ernesto Yeboah has been admitted to a 100,000 cedis bail with one surety, his lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu confirmed to TV3 on Sunday, “it’s been executed currently and he has been released”.

He said the political activist was charged for failure to notify the police of such a public gathering as well as breaching the Executive Instrument on restrictions.

“We have contested that; the police was notified,” the lawyer stated.

Later, Xavier Sosu said the police claimed the notice was too short, but that one too was contested, insisting the police was informed on June 1.