Wontumi's Arrest: 55-Year-Old Man Arrested for Assaulting Journalist at EOCO During May 27 Protest

• A Ghanaian who joined the NPP's protest at the Economic and Organised Crime Office on May 27 has been arrested
• A statement from the Ghana Police Service indicated that he had assaulted a JoyNews journalist outside the facility
• Netizens who saw the post expressed mixed reactions, with many doubting that Chairman Wontumi would help

A 55-year-old Ghanaian man has found himself on the wrong side of the law following an incident at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) on May 27, 2025.

The man, identified by the Ghana Police Service as Theophilus Thompson, has been accused of assaulting a journalist, Latif Iddrisu, during a protest at the EOCO headquarters.

The protest was to demand the immediate release of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, who was arrested for allegedly engaging in fraudulent activities.

Despite denying the allegations, he was arrested after he visited the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and was detained by the EOCO for six days.

He was granted bail; however, duty failure to meet his bail conditions, he was kept in custody for six days. Some of the supporters felt the arrest was unlawful and rushed to the EOCO headquarters to protest the detention.

Man who protested Wontumi's detention arrested

In a statement issued on June 8, 2025, the Ghana Police Service stated that Latif Iddrisu was confronted and arrested by some demonstrators.

"Following investigations, on June 7, 2025, at about 5:00 pm, the [Greater Accra] Regional Command arrested Theophilus Thompson, 55, at James Town in connection with the assault.

Theophilus is currently in police custody, assisting with investigations, according to the press statement.

"Efforts are underway to identify and arrest the other individuals involved," the statement added.

The post announcing the arrest of Theophilus is below:

Ghanaians react to NPP supporter's arrest

Netizens who saw the post about the arrest of Theophilus expressed mixed reactions in the comments section.

Some were delighted over the move and commended the police service and while others criticised his actions.

@Lechiboroni wrote:

"I asked Latif to go home but he refused."

@_Roofman2131gh wrote:

"By now, Wontumi is home eating fufu with his family and friends, while Theo is being locked up for being stupid."

@joromi_ wrote:

"Sad part is no one is coming to sit on the street for him. There are laws and institutions set up to work. Let these institutions do their work, and when it goes overboard, we use the same laws against them, but you people say you prefer jungle life."

@madison_ben5 wrote:

"Thank you @GhPoliceService for this. Don’t release him on bail, put him to court and sentence him straight to 5 years in prison. That Koka guy is also walking free after threatening to kill all EOCO workers."

Captain Smart speaks on Chairman Wontumi’s release

YEN.com.gh also reported that Ghanaian broadcaster, Captain Smart had reacted to the NPP's Ashanti Regional Chairman being released.

In a video, he sympathised with Wontumi and offered some prayers for him, claiming that a video of his release by the EOCO broke his heart.

Netizens who saw the video of Captain Smart sympathising with the NPP politician expressed mixed reactions in the comments section.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh