ACCRA — The Centre for Justice and Rule of Law (CJRL) has condemned violent clashes at the Kukurantumi Police Station in Ghana’s Eastern Region, calling for investigations into both the irate youth who stormed the facility and the officers accused of beating a suspect to death. In a press statement released Monday, the human rights organization described the Sunday attacks as a “deeply concerning” reprisal, while spotlighting systemic police brutality against detainees as a root cause of escalating tensions between law enforcement and communities.
The unrest erupted on September 21, 2025, around 7 a.m., when hundreds of furious youth in Akyem Kukurantumi, a mining town in the Abuakwa North Municipality, descended on the police station following the death of 28-year-old suspect Bright Kena, also known as D-Ball. Preliminary reports indicate Kena was arrested Saturday on allegations of unlawful entry and stealing a mere GH¢5 from a local shop. Witnesses claim officers subjected him to a severe beating during questioning, leading to his hospitalization and death later that evening at the Kibi Government Hospital. Enraged residents, believing the assault was unprovoked, pelted the station with stones, attempted to set it ablaze, and vandalized vehicles, forcing police to flee.
Videos circulating on social media captured the chaos: Flames licked at the station’s perimeter as youths chanted for justice, with one clip showing officers barricading themselves inside before reinforcements from Kibi arrived to disperse the crowd using tear gas. No casualties were reported among police, but several officers sustained minor injuries. In response, Inspector General of Police Dr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno ordered the station’s temporary closure and withdrew all personnel to avert further violence, a move the Eastern Regional Police Command described as precautionary. A joint security team has since been deployed to maintain order in the area.
CJRL Director of Media Relations, Divine Nkrumah, has unequivocally denounced the youth’s actions and has urged “cool heads to prevail” during ongoing probes. “We condemn the attacks by the youth in no uncertain terms,” Nkrumah wrote, but added that the incident signals “the youth have run out of patience with the rate at which they are abused by police personnel.” The group highlighted preliminary findings that the assault stemmed directly from Kena’s alleged mistreatment, questioning why such a trivial offense warranted brutality.
Drawing on Ghana’s 1992 Constitution—which presumes innocence until proven guilty—and the Criminal Procedure Act of 1960 (Act 30), CJRL argued that beatings during arrests violate clear legal safeguards. “Any time that a police officer violates these provisions and resorts to the beating of persons who have been arrested, that officer… opens himself as well as the entire police administration to a lawsuit which can result in judgment debt to the country as a whole,” the statement warned. Nkrumah called on Dampare to launch a “sober deep reflection” on officer training, deployment, and supervision, insisting both sides face accountability: “Investigate the youth who attacked but also investigate the police who conducted the arrest and ensure that everyone who deserves punishment is duly punished according to law.”
Echoes of Systemic Issues in Ghana’s Policing
This flare-up in Kukurantumi underscores broader concerns over police brutality in Ghana, where rights groups document hundreds of custodial deaths annually. The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) reported over 200 such cases in 2024, often linked to excessive force during minor arrests.
The incident has drawn sharp reactions. Local MP Abuakwa North, Nana Ampaw Kwame Addo Frenpong has condemned the violence, while the Ghana Police Service promised a thorough inquiry. Civil society allies, including the Coalition on Police Accountability, echoed CJRL’s dual-probe demand, warning that unchecked abuses erode public trust in institutions.
