A 40-year-old tile setter, Raphael Okoe Ankrah, also known as Okoe Killer, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for insulting President Nana Akufo-Addo. The arrest was made after the police came across a video on social media where Ankrah was seen using offensive language against the President. Ankrah has pleaded not guilty to the charge of offensive conduct conducive to breaches of peace.
During the court proceedings presided over by Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah, Ankrah was ordered to reappear on May 30, 2023. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong informed the court that Ankrah resided in Jamestown. He explained that the police had come across a viral video on May 15, 2023, in which Ankrah was seen insulting the President. ASP Oppong stated that Ankrah was arrested due to the offensive nature of the video, which had caused annoyance and agitation among the public.
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Ankrah was located and apprehended by the police’s Intelligence Directorate at his hideout in James Town, Accra. According to the prosecution, Ankrah confessed to the offense during his investigation caution statement and was subsequently charged. Mr. Yaw Dankwa, Ankrah’s Defense Counsel, requested bail for his client, arguing that the charge did not align with the facts. He claimed that the case was politically motivated and that Ankrah denied the offense upon his arrest. Mr. Dankwa suggested that the video might have been manipulated, and until it was presented and examined in court, Ankrah should be considered innocent.
Mr. Dankwa further described Ankrah as a responsible father with a two-week-old baby and emphasized that he was not a flight risk. He stated that Ankrah had individuals of high standing willing to act as sureties for him. The prosecution opposed bail and urged the court to send Ankrah to a psychiatric hospital, as he had allegedly told the police that he was not mentally stable. ASP Oppong argued that Ankrah’s life would be at risk in his community due to his statements in the video, and therefore, he would be safer in police custody.
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Regarding Ankrah’s alleged lack of a fixed abode, the prosecution claimed that he was a squatter residing in an unfinished building. However, Ankrah’s lawyer disputed this claim, stating that there were no incomplete buildings in James Town.
