My detention condition was ‘inhumane’ – ACP Agordzo
A former Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Benjamin Agordzo, who has been acquitted and discharged over an alleged coup plot has shared the harrowing conditions he endured during his detention by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB).
Mr Agordzo described his detention as “inhumane”, citing factors such as uncertainty about the time, lack of external information, and difficulties in receiving visitors.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Up-front on Thursday, January 25, he emphasised the arduous process for visitors to reach detainees, often taking six to seven hours, forcing them to abandon their attempts.
Mr Agordzo questioned the legitimacy of the procedures followed by the NIB, highlighting the subculture practiced, limited access to a lawyer, and the BNI conducting interrogations without legal representation.
“Anytime somebody is arrested in Ghana, the common thing we say is let the law take its course, due process. Do you know the kind of due process that is taking its course in NIB?
“Do you know the kind of subculture that they are practicing there? Are you aware that it is difficult for lawyers to get access to their clients over there?
“Are you aware that they most of the time prevent lawyers from seeing their clients? Are you aware that they don’t allow lawyers into their interrogation rooms, and that they do their own interrogation and come out to say that the person confessed?
“So any time security analysts say let the law take its course, I laugh, I smile,” he said.
The embattled ACP underscored the need for a more transparent and accountable system, urging a reevaluation of the subcultures within the police service and other security agencies.
He asserted that he never regretted speaking out against what he perceives as a flawed system.
“Well, I have never regretted my speaking out because, at the time I spoke out, I had served the police service for about 32 years. So, it wasn’t too early and by the time I left last November, I was 36 years in the police service so you couldn’t have said that it was too, too early. And don’t forget, this is not the first time that this kind of thing has happened to me.
“Yes, I had been removed from the service before because I stood for what was right, because I challenged my Regional Commander over an issue and because of that, I was removed from the service,” he stressed.
Despite facing challenges, Mr Agordzo affirmed his commitment to standing up for justice.
“That is why from the beginning of this case, I said, and that was on the 6th of November 2019, that I was going to stand for this to the end, and I stood for it to the end,” he said.
Six individuals implicated in an alleged coup plot have been convicted for conspiracy to commit high treason and committing high treason.
However, Assistant Commissioner of Police Benjamin Agordzo, Colonel Gameli, and another junior military officer, Corporal Seidu Abubakar, have been acquitted.
The charges, dating back to April 24, 2021, involved Dr. Frederick Yao Mac-Palm, the late Chief Executive Officer of Citadel Hospital, ACP Dr. Agordzo, and eight others.
The accused faced various charges, including conspiracy to high treason, abetment to high treason, and high treason.
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