Police arrest convener of Democracy Hub demo Oliver Barker-Vormawor

The Ghana Police Service has confirmed the arrest of Oliver Barker-Vormawor, convener of the Democracy Hub protest.

Barker-Vormawor was taken into custody on Monday, September 23, 2024, for his alleged involvement in unlawful acts during the group’s demonstration on September 21-22.

Initially, the police had issued a statement declaring him wanted, but Barker-Vormawor denied being in hiding, labeling the allegations “baseless and misleading” in a Facebook post.

The police statement noted that Barker-Vormawor’s arrest was in connection to “various unlawful acts” committed at the 37 Intersection in Accra.

Hi arrest come after two additional protesters from the Democracy Hub were arrested by police on Monday, September 23, 2024.

The two men had been standing on the pavement near the 37 Lorry Station for over an hour before boldly stepping forward to stand directly in front of the police, holding their placards and voicing their concerns.

Their placards carried messages opposing illegal mining, a key issue driving the protest.

The men declared, “You can arrest more of us, but even if only two of us remain, we will stand up against illegal mining.”

Their act of defiance led to their immediate arrest, raising the total number of detained protesters over the three days to 44.

Read below the statement