Okatakyie Afrifa, Six Others Granted Bail Over Alleged Election Disruption

The Nsuta Circuit Court in the Sekyere Central District of the Ashanti Region, presided over by His Lordship Simon Nkatiah Gagah, has granted bail to seven persons over their alleged involvement in the disruption of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Afigya Sekyere East Constituency Executive Elections.

The ruling was delivered on Friday, July 17, 2026.

The first accused, Kwame Afrifa Mensah, popularly known as Okatakyie Afrifa, a 43-year-old journalist, was granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties, one of whom must be a government worker earning not less than GH¢4,000 per month.

The remaining accused persons—Osman Awuni, 44, a driver; Kwabena Tsikata, 36, a private investigator; Bashiru Salifu, alias Tinny, 39, an electrician; Kofi Antwi, 42, a driver; Paul Kofi Mensah, 41, a driver; and Simon Ndana, 27, also a driver—were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties.

Chief Inspector Owusu Kobi Moses, leading the prosecution, told the court that the complainant is the Ashanti North Regional Police Command.

According to the prosecution, intelligence gathered during a regional security meeting convened by the Ashanti North Regional Police Commander, DCOP Felix Apedo, on Thursday, July 9, 2026, suggested that a vigilante group operating from Accra and Kumasi had allegedly been recruited to disrupt the NPP Afigya Sekyere East Constituency Executive Elections scheduled to take place at Wiamoase on Sunday, July 12, 2026.

Based on the intelligence, the Regional Operations Unit and the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) were tasked with verifying the information and taking proactive measures to prevent any disturbance.

The prosecution stated that at about 7:45 a.m. on the day of the elections, the first accused allegedly led a group of about 30 suspected vigilante members to the SDA Church polling station at Wiamoase aboard a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number GN 7671-17, a Toyota Tundra pickup with an unknown registration number, and approximately five motorbikes.

When security personnel approached the group to ascertain the purpose of their presence, the prosecution alleged that they became aggressive, assaulted police officers, and disrupted the electoral process by throwing electoral materials onto the ground.

Police officers subsequently arrested five of the accused persons at the scene, while other members of the group escaped. The prosecution further stated that Kwabena Tsikata later trailed the police vehicle in the Toyota Land Cruiser and was subsequently arrested.

The prosecution also told the court that Paul Kofi Mensah, in his caution statement, allegedly admitted that the group had been engaged by Okatakyie Afrifa to disrupt the electoral process because some of his loyal delegates had allegedly been removed from the electoral register.

It was further alleged that Okatakyie Afrifa, in his handwritten caution statement, admitted to engaging the other accused persons and those currently at large to assist in serving a court order.

A search conducted during the arrests allegedly led to the retrieval of several exhibits. Police recovered one spent BB cartridge from Kwabena Tsikata. From Bashiru Salifu, officers allegedly retrieved one NATO pepper spray and three toffees suspected to contain narcotic substances (commonly referred to as “wee toffees”). Another NATO pepper spray and one live BB cartridge were allegedly recovered from Paul Kofi Mensah.

The prosecution informed the court that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects, who are currently on the run.

As investigations are still ongoing, the pleas of the accused persons were not taken.

The case has been adjourned to August 13, 2026, for the accused persons’ pleas to be taken.