The Nsuta Circuit Court has granted bail to media personality Kwame Afrifa Mensah, popularly known as Okatakyie Afrifa, and six other accused persons over their alleged involvement in the disruption of the New Patriotic Party’s Constituency Executive Elections in the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency in the Ashanti Region.
Afrifa was brought to court in an ambulance with bandages on his head, a cervical collar around his neck, and was assisted as he limped to and from the courtroom.
The 43-year-old media personality 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.
The case was presided over by His Lordship Simon Nkatiah Gagah.
Chief Inspector Owusu Kobi Moses, who led the prosecution, told the court that 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.
The prosecutor explained that based on the intelligence, the Regional Operations Unit and the Police Intelligence Directorate were tasked to verify the information and take proactive measures to prevent any disturbance.
According to the prosecution, 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 Seventh Day Adventist (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.
Chief Inspector Moses further told the court that 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.
The court heard that 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 engaging the other accused persons and those currently at large to assist in serving a court order.
According to the prosecution, a search conducted during the arrests allegedly led to the retrieval of several exhibits.
Police allegedly recovered one spent BB cartridge from Kwabena Tsikata and Bashiru Salifu, as well as 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 in progress, the pleas of the accused persons were not taken.
The case has been adjourned to August 13, 2026, for the pleas of the accused persons to be taken.
