Occupy JulorbiHouse Demonstrators Arrested For Defying Injunction Order

Some citizens among the hundreds of protesters who had gathered at the 37 Trotro Station in Accra on Thursday, September 21, 2023, to participate in the OccupyJubilee House protest had to flee the scene whiles some of them were also arrested by the police.

The protesters who chose September 21, the birthday of Ghana’s first President Osagyfo Dr Kwame Nkrumah for the protest due to the significance of the day are demanding a range of reforms, including a reduction in the cost of living, an end to corruption, and improved governance.

The police on the eve of the protest had obtained a court injunction banning the protest, but the protestors defied the injunction and gathered in attempted to march to Jubilee House, the official residence of the President of Ghana for to press home their concerns.

The police responded by arresting several protesters including some of the organizers.

Approximately 50 members of the group are currently in custody at the regional police headquarters in Accra Central.

The organizers claim they never received any court notice, prompting them to gather at 37 on Thursday morning to march to the Jubilee House.

Law enforcement officers were present at the assembly point with buses and armed personnel to apprehend the protesters. The key among the arrested persons is the #FixtheCountry convenor Oliver Barker Vormawor.

The OccupyJubilee House protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations against the government. In recent months, there has been growing public discontent over the rising cost of living and the government’s perceived failure to address the concerns of the people.

However, the protestors say that the government is not doing enough and that the people of Ghana deserve better.

The lawyer for the demonstrators, Prince Ganaku, said he’s determined to get his clients freed.

“I want to send out a message to all lawyers who are interested in defending the rule of law. Ghana Bar Association, all lawyer groups, and every lawyer should know that what is going on is wrong. You should have an ethical and moral obligation to speak in a situation like this. We are in a democratic dispensation, we shouldn’t be seeing things like this. I want to send a clarion call to all lawyers to show up here to defend the rule of law. This is unconstitutional, the arrest is unlawful. We are going to work around the clock to get them out. These people are fighting for you [police]. You are shooting yourselves in the foot,” the lawyer said.

citinewsroom