Okatakyie Afrifa Granted GH¢100,000 Bail Over Alleged Disruption of NPP Constituency Elections

Media personality Kwame Afrifa Mensah, popularly known as Okatakyie Afrifa, has been granted bail by the Nsuta Circuit Court alongside six other accused persons over their alleged involvement in the disruption of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Afigya Sekyere East Constituency Executive Elections in the Ashanti Region.

Okatakyie Afrifa, 43, arrived at the court premises in an ambulance wearing bandages around his head and a cervical neck collar. He was also seen limping and required assistance while entering and leaving the courtroom.

The court, presided over by His Lordship Simon Nkatiah Gagah, granted Afrifa bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties, one of whom must be a government employee earning not less than GH¢4,000 per month.

The six other accused persons—Osman Awuni, 44, a driver; Kwabena Tsikata, 36, a private investigator; Bashiru Salifu, also known as Tinny, 39, an electrician; Kofi Antwi, 42, a driver; Paul Kofi Mensah, 41, a driver; and Simon Ndana, 27, also a driver—were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties.

Prosecution’s Case

Presenting the facts before the court, Chief Inspector Owusu Kobi Moses, who led the prosecution, said security intelligence gathered during a regional security meeting chaired by the Ashanti North Regional Police Commander, DCOP Felix Apedo, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, indicated that a group of suspected vigilantes from Accra and Kumasi had allegedly been recruited to disrupt the NPP constituency executive elections scheduled for Sunday, July 12, 2026, at Wiamoase.

According to the prosecution, following the intelligence report, the Regional Operations Unit and the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) were directed to verify the information and put in place preventive security measures to ensure the elections proceeded peacefully.

The prosecution told the court that at about 7:45 a.m. on the election day, Okatakyie Afrifa allegedly led approximately 30 suspected vigilante members to the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church polling station at Wiamoase.

The group was said to have arrived in a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number GN 7671-17, a Toyota Tundra pickup truck with an unknown registration number, and about five motorbikes.

Alleged Disruption and Arrests

Chief Inspector Moses stated that when police officers approached the group to determine why they were at the polling centre, the suspects allegedly became aggressive.

The prosecution alleged that members of the group assaulted some police officers and disrupted the electoral process by throwing election materials onto the ground, causing confusion at the polling station.

Following the incident, police officers arrested five of the accused persons at the scene, while several others reportedly fled.

The prosecution further told the court that Kwabena Tsikata later followed the police vehicle transporting the arrested suspects in the Toyota Land Cruiser and was subsequently arrested by the police.

Caution Statements

According to the prosecution, Paul Kofi Mensah, in his caution statement, allegedly admitted that the group had been engaged by Okatakyie Afrifa to disrupt the elections because some delegates believed to be loyal to him had allegedly been removed from the constituency electoral register.

The prosecution also alleged that in his own handwritten caution statement, Okatakyie Afrifa admitted engaging the other accused persons, together with others currently on the run, to assist in serving a court order.

Items Retrieved

The court also heard that police conducted searches during the arrests and allegedly recovered several items.

According to the prosecution, officers retrieved a spent BB cartridge from Kwabena Tsikata and Bashiru Salifu, as well as a NATO pepper spray and three toffees suspected to contain narcotic substances, commonly referred to as “wee toffees.”

Police also allegedly recovered another NATO pepper spray and one live BB cartridge from Paul Kofi Mensah.

Investigations Continue

The prosecution informed the court that investigations into the matter are still ongoing and that efforts are being intensified to arrest the remaining suspects who are currently at large.

Because investigations have not been concluded, the pleas of all seven accused persons were not taken.

The case has been adjourned to August 13, 2026, when the accused persons are expected to formally enter their pleas before the court.

source:Citinewsroom