A Circuit Court in Accra has ordered that 40-year-old tile setter Raphael Okoe Ankrah, nicknamed Okoe Killer, be taken into police custody due to insulting President Nana Akuffo-Addo. The police took action after discovering a video posted on social media that featured the accused using highly derogatory language about the President.
He has since pleaded not guilty to offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace.
The Court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, ordered that Ankrah be brought back on May 30, 2023.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong told the Court that Ankrah lives in Jamestown.
He said on May 15, 2023, the Police saw a viral video in which Ankrah was seen insulting the President.
Police Commander ASP Oppong revealed that they had no choice but to detain Ankrah due to the vulgar and controversial nature of the video, which had incited and infuriated the general public.
The Police’s Intelligence Directorate tracked Ankrah and arrested him at his hideout at James Town in Accra.
The prosecution stated that Ankrah acknowledged his wrong-doing during his interrogation, prompting them to file a formal charge against him.
Mr Yaw Dankwa, the legal representation of Ankrah, pleaded for the accused to be granted bail, emphasizing that the charge in this case did not match up with the reality. He mentioned that this incident appeared to have stemmed from political motivations since Ankrah adamantly denied any culpability upon his apprehension.
He suggested that the said video could have been manipulated and until it was presented and scrutinised in court, his client was innocent of the charges.
Mr Dankwa said Ankrah, a “responsible father” with a wife who has a two-week baby, was not a flight risk.
He said Ankrah had “people of substance” ready to stand surety for him.
The prosecution, opposing the bail, pleaded with the Court to send the accused to the psychiatric hospital as he told police he was not in his right frame of mind.
ASP Oppong said that based on Ankrah’s utterances in the video, he would be safer in police custody because his life was in danger in his community.
The prosecution argued against the defence's assertion that Ankrah was not a flight risk, citing that he lived in an unfinished structure and lacked a fixed address. On the other hand, Ankrah's lawyer countered that there were no unfinished buildings in James Town.