Mr Anyidoho was released by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the agency handling the case, in the presence of his father, Major General Henry Kwami Anyidoho and his lawyers.

CitiNewsroom’s Fred Djabanor reported that the conditions under which he was released are immediately not known.

Mr Anyidoho was picked up at the International Press centre on Tuesday for making comments deemed treasonable.

[contextly_sidebar id=”M9HDwW5wNrxXCbQxrDlM50s6kcncjVKC”]He was subsequently charged with treason.

Police have since been given permission to seize all electronic devices belonging to Mr Anyidoho by a High Court.

The court gave permission for all electronic gadgets including laptops, iPhone and iPads, believed to hold information related to the charge to be seized to aid the police investigations.

Mr Anyidoho landed in hot waters when, in an interview on Accra-based Happy FM, he called for the overthrow of President Nana Akufo-Addo over the ratification of the controversial defence cooperation agreement between Ghana and the US.

He said the overthrow will be in the form of a “civilian coup d’etat”.

The host of the show on which the comments were made, Kwame Affrifa, had also been invited by the police to aid in their investigations.

Support from Mahama

A former President, John Mahama, made recent comments on social media which suggest he did not approve of the way Mr. Anyidoho was taken into custody by the police.

On Wednesday, Mr Mahama criticised the Police for what he described as their ‘high-handed’ responses to “innocent” Ghanaians who massed up at the Police Headquarters on Tuesday night in solidarity with the arrested NDC national executive.

In a Facebook post, the former President chided Akufo-Addo government for the manner in which Mr Anyidoho was arrested and later charged with treason.

He, however, did not make mention of the comments made by Mr Anyidoho which have been widely condemned.

Mr Mahama later visited Mr Anyidoho at the BNI headquarters.

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By: Godwin A. Allotey & Fred Djabanor/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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A police source at the CID Headquarters in Accra, where Mr. Anyidoho is being held, confirmed the latest development to Citi News.

This comes shortly after he was taken to his house for a thorough search, and brought back to the CID Headquarters, where hundreds of NDC supporters had gathered outside demanding his release.

Mr. Anyidoho in an interview on Accra-based Happy FM, indicated that President Akufo-Addo will be overthrown just like his father and the late Dr. K. A Busia due to the ratification of the controversial defence cooperation agreement between the US and the government of Ghana.

“Somebody should tell Nana Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. On the 13th of January 1972, a certain Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led an insurrection that removed the progress party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo Addo’s father was the ceremonial President. Someone should tell Akufo-Addo that history has an interesting way of repeating itself,” Anyidoho warned.

When he was asked by the Host to clarify his statement , Koku Anyidoho maintained that “history has an interesting way of repeating itself.”

“There will be a civilian coup d’état. There will be a social revolution. We [NDC] are starting it on Wednesday. The movement is starting on Wednesday. Nana Addo will have sleepless nights. He will suffer diarrhea. He said he wanted to be president, but we will make sure he will be fed up on the seat,’’ he noted further.

Mr. Sylvester Mensah, a leading member of the NDC, told a crowd of NDC supporters that he has been told that Mr. Anyidoho would not be granted bail.

He thus charged the supporters not to go home, saying the turn of events clearly shows the issue had become political.

“We have been told by the officer in charge that they are not going to grant him bail. There’s a law in this country that allows every offense to be bailable. Our lawyers are out there very angry. The General Secretary and senior party members are all there extremely angry, and to say that you cannot bail him is a political issue, and I don’t think anybody should go home.”

Citi News‘ Fred Djabanor also reports from the Police Headquarters that there had been attempts by national executives of the NDC and lawyers, to secure bail for Mr. Anyidoho, but that has not happened, as he has now been moved from the Police CID to an unknown location.

Addressing party supporters, Mr. Asiedu Nketia said the party will still join in the demonstration scheduled for Wednesday against the Ghana-US defence cooperation agreement ratified by Parliament last Friday despite a boycott by the Minority.

The Arrest

Mr. Anyidoho was picked up at the International Press Centre in Accra during a press conference by a group of opposition political parties known as the Inter-Party Coalition for National Sovereignty, who are kicking against the Ghana-US Defence Cooperation agreement ratified by Parliament last Friday.

The group comprises the People’s National Convention [PNC], the National Democratic Congress [NDC], the Convention People’s Party [CPP], the Progressive People’s Party [PPP], and the All People’s Congress [APC].

The press conference was attended by a number of the parties’ top officials including NDC’s General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Hassan Ayariga of the APC and Bernard Mornah, PNC Chairman, who condemned the invasion of the press conference to arrest Mr. Ayidoho, saying it was an attempt to silence them and a threat to freedom of speech.

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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Anyidoho charged with treason, refused bail appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He was picked up at the International Press Centre in Accra today [ Tuesday] during a press conference by a group of opposition political parties known as the Inter-Party Coalition for National Sovereignty, who are kicking against the Ghana-US Defence Cooperation agreement ratified by Parliament last Friday.

The group comprises the People’s National Convention [PNC], the National Democratic Congress [NDC], the Convention People’s Party [CPP], the Progressive People’s Party [PPP],  and the All People’s Congress [APC].

The press conference was attended by a number of the parties’ top officials including NDC’s General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Hassan Ayariga of the APC and Bernard Mornah, PNC Chairman, who condemned the invasion of the press conference to arrest Mr. Ayidoho, saying it was an attempt to silence them and a threat to freedom of speech.

[contextly_sidebar id=”7hvqSDdRVhTRBixWuS5yE3u3RSg1Qw0F”]Mr. Anyidoho in an interview on Accra-based Happy FM, indicated that President Akufo-Addo will be overthrown just like his father and the late Dr. K. A Busia due to the ratification of the controversial defence cooperation agreement between the US and the government of Ghana.

“Somebody should tell Nana Addo that history has a very interesting way of repeating itself. On the 13th of January 1972, a certain Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led an insurrection that removed the progress party from power. Busia was the Prime Minister and Akufo Addo’s father was the ceremonial President. Someone should tell Akufo-Addo that history has an interesting way of repeating itself,” Anyidoho warned.

When he was asked by the Host to clarify his statement , Koku Anyidoho maintained that “history has an interesting way of repeating itself.”

“There will be a civilian coup d’état. There will be a social revolution. We [NDC] are starting it on Wednesday. The movement is starting on Wednesday. Nana Addo will have sleepless nights. He will suffer diarrhea. He said he wanted to be president, but we will make sure he will be fed up on the seat,’’ he noted further.

Anyidoho should be questioned for ‘treasonable comments’ – Hamid

Government had said on Tuesday that it expects the country’s security agencies to interrogate Mr. Anyidoho for making what it considers treasonable comments.

Speaking to Citi News, the Minister for Information, Mustapha Hamid, condemned Koku Anyidoho’s comments saying “Our [government’s] immediate reaction is utter condemnation of the comments by Koku Anyidoho. We condemn it in the very strongest of terms. When people make treasonable comments, when people allude to the fact that they intend to overthrow a government, it will be important for the security agencies to have a chat with him and to find out how he intends to do that.”

He indicated that, although the NDC has subsequently dissociated itself from Mr. Anyidoho’s comments, it has to take a firmer stance by strongly condemning same.

“Our attention has been drawn to the fact that the General Secretary of the NDC says the party disassociates itself from Koku Anyidoho’s comments, but we think that merely disassociating the NDC from that comment is not enough. We think that the NDC should condemn this in the strongest possible terms.”

The National Democratic Congress [NDC], has stated its opposition to the Ghana-US Defence Cooperation agreement, after its members in Parliament, staged a walkout during the approval.

Minority to join demo against ‘US military base’ agreement

The Minority in Parliament has already served notice that on Wednesday, it will join some Ghanaians in Accra to demonstrate against the recently ratified Ghana-US Defence Cooperation agreement.

In a statement copied to citifmonline.com, the caucus described the agreement as a betrayal of the Ghanaian people by the Akufo-Addo government.

The Ranking Member of the Communications Committee and Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu constituency, Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, who signed the statement, said they have taken a decision to “unanimously and without reservation resolved to support and join Ghanaians who will be demonstrating tomorrow [Wednesday].

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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post CID picks up Anyidoho for threatening a ‘coup d’état’ appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A Magistrate Court in Ho on Thursday, March 9, 2017, declined jurisdiction in the case saying it was above its jurisdiction.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tsN5yfPuOLNOIzHlHkTJ840Q5W9rvKbW”]Lawyer for the accused persons, Atsu Agbakpe, confirmed the latest development on Eyewitness News, adding that the court had granted his clients bail.

Mr. Agbakpe insisted that the charges against his clients were without merit because as he said, their actions did not fall under the umbrella of treason.

He argued that, treason comes into play when you wage war against the state, or you use violent means or you assist someone to use violent means to overthrow the state.

“When you read article 19 (18) of the 1992 constitution, it says that when you lawful means such as a petition, court order or you lobby for such to be done, it has nothing to do with treason. Thinking of separation is not treason by itself but the means by which you want to achieve it is where the offence comes from.”

His clients are part of the Homeland Study group Foundation which has over the past year been campaigning for the separation of parts of the Volta, Northern and Upper East regions to form the Western Togoland state, which they claim existed before Ghana’s independence in 1957.

Founder of the group, Charles Kormi Kudjordji, and two others, Martin Asiama Agbenu and Divine Odonkor, were arrested and charged with treason.

Police yet to provide proof of treason

Mr. Agbakpe said he was not part of the movement, and did not know how his clients seek to achieve their aim, but he argued that the police are not making reference to their methods as a basis for the treason charges.

“The fact that the people are speaking for separation doesn’t spell treason. It has nothing to do with treason. Police are trained to investigate and gather intelligence so they should take their time to ascertain how they want to achieve their goal.”

“I am not saying the wrong should have been done before they take action, but they should have come to tell the court that this is the means the people want to use to achieve their grievances,” he added.

Another legal practitioner on Eyewitness News, Ace Ankomah, outlined the various kinds of treason per Ghana’s laws as High treason under Article 3(3) of the constitution, Treason on its own, and Treason Felony per section 182 of the criminal offense act.

With respect to the group’s agenda, Mr. Ankomah is of the view they have not yet crossed into the territory of treason as yet, but any further steps would most likely fall foul of the law.

“If you seek to take a portion of the land of Ghana, you will be hard pressed to show how you can do that lawfully unless all you are going to do is to argue that maybe we should have a plebicite for you to decide whether or not you want to remain part of Ghana.”

“If they were to get up and declare themselves independent, that would take them into the realm of treason felony or treason itself. If the government says it would not agree with your declaration of independence, are you going to fight back; that leads you to the level of high treason and treason itself.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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