The Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Michael Kwasi Addo, has cautioned the ruling government against setting dangerous precedents through its actions, particularly in the handling of accountability for former officials.
Reacting to the arrest of Maxwell Kofi Jumah, the former Managing Director of GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited, by national security personnel at his residence in Kumasi, Kwasi Addo in an interview on Joy Prime on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, expressed concern that the excessive force used by the operatives in effecting the arrest was unnecessary.
According to him, even if Kofi Jumah had committed any wrongdoing, the security operatives should have considered his age and frail condition and treated him with greater care.
Kwasi Addo, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), warned that a future government might retaliate, cautioning the current administration to act with restraint and uphold due process.
“I believe the way we are going about things in the country; we have to be careful. Well, we are not saying anything bad should happen, but when we are doing some of these things, excessively, we have to look into the future. What kind of democracy are we building? If you were in that shoe, would you want the same thing to be done to you?
“If the man has done anything wrong, at least consider his age. And I appreciate the fact that yesterday at the police headquarters, they were able to process his bail conditions so that he goes home faster. Because I think they appreciated his frail situation and decided to let him go,” he said.
His comments are in line with Kofi Jumah’s arrest by security operatives over alleged stolen GIHOC vehicles.
According to an earlier GhanaWeb report on June 30, 2025, the arrest—which occurred on June 29—was described as sudden and forceful.
Eyewitnesses, including Paul Yandoh, Ashanti Regional Communications Director for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), reported that the operatives arrived under the pretense of requesting a conversation with the former GIHOC boss but proceeded to detain him after displaying what they claimed was a warrant on a mobile phone.“He wasn’t allowed to change his clothes. They bundled him into a pickup vehicle and took him to the Ashanti Regional Police Command. He is still in custody, awaiting further directives from Accra,” Yandoh said.
Jumah has since been released from custody after being granted bail.
