Prominent lawyer and anti-corruption advocate Martin Kpebu has detailed the events that led to his arrest and overnight detention at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), accusing the anti-graft body of harassment and abuse of power.
The OSP, however, has rejected his claims, insisting that the lawyer’s conduct amounted to obstruction and verbal abuse of security personnel, leading to his lawful arrest.
In an interview with JoyNews, Mr. Kpebu said the confrontation occurred when he visited the OSP headquarters on Thursday to provide further information on corruption allegations he had levelled against Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng and other officials.
According to him, tensions arose when soldiers stationed at the OSP prevented him from granting a short interview to journalists outside the compound.
“One of the soldiers told me, ‘Next time you come and park your car here and go outside, I will not allow you,’” he recounted.
“I told him, ‘You can’t do that — I’m not a suspect. I’m here to assist the OSP.’ Then he called me a stupid man — and I also told him he’s stupid. That was it.”
Mr. Kpebu described the soldiers’ behaviour as a “vigilante-style” show of force, arguing that their presence at the OSP was unconstitutional.
“Under Article 210, soldiers are for external aggression, not law and order,” he stated. “It’s a scandal to suggest that the Ghana Police Service cannot provide security at the OSP.”
He added that once inside the OSP, he was confronted by a panel he had previously objected to for being subordinates of the Special Prosecutor — a situation he said compromised the integrity of the process. His refusal to cooperate, he claimed, prompted officials to accuse him of obstruction and arrest him.
“They said there were counter-accusations against me and that they were going to arrest me,” he said. “I told my lawyers not to argue — let them arrest me.”
Kpebu alleged that he was granted bail under what he called unreasonable conditions, including a requirement to produce landed property as surety.
“A soldier abuses me, you don’t protect me, and now you arrest me and ask for land as bail? It’s absurd,” he remarked.
He said he was detained overnight while OSP officials claimed they needed to verify his documents, describing the move as vindictive.
The lawyer suggested that senior figures eventually intervened to secure his release, though he declined to name them, saying, “Let’s cover that chapter another day.”
Responding to the allegations, Sammy Darko, Head of Public Engagement and Strategy at the OSP, refuted Mr. Kpebu’s narrative, describing it as inaccurate and incomplete.
“Mr. Kpebu arrived at the OSP premises with media personnel and conducted interviews outside the gate despite prior warnings about restricted photography and security protocol,” Mr. Darko said. “He was cautioned by security to comply but became verbally abusive and obstructed officers performing their lawful duties. He was then arrested peacefully for obstruction.”
Mr. Darko emphasized that the OSP acted within the bounds of the law, granting Mr. Kpebu bail the same day and allowing him to provide documentation for verification.
“The OSP operates strictly within the law. No one is above procedure, and we expect all citizens, regardless of status, to comply with security regulations,” he said.
He further noted that the presence of security personnel, including military officers, at the OSP was part of broader inter-agency cooperation to ensure safety and order within the institution’s operations.
Mr. Kpebu said he has since been asked to return to the OSP to complete the verification of his bail documents. He insists his arrest was politically motivated and aimed at silencing critics of the Special Prosecutor.
“This was a scheme to intimidate me,” he alleged. “But I’m compiling what will be the mother of all petitions, calling for the removal of Kissi Agyebeng.”
He claims the petition is expanding as more individuals come forward with information.
“Ghana is a small country; people have ‘filla’,” he said. “This petition is growing bigger and bigger.”
