Kpebu pledges to proceed with petition to remove Special Prosecutor

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu says his nearly five-hour detention by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) will not deter him from petitioning President John Mahama to remove Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng from office.

Mr. Kpebu was held on December 3 after being accused of obstructing an officer of the OSP. Speaking to TV3 shortly after his release, he described the detention as needless and insisted he had committed no wrongdoing. “I know I have not done anything wrong, so I will be released,” he said.

He confirmed an altercation with a military officer stationed at the OSP premises, recounting that the confrontation escalated into an exchange of insults.

“The military officer said I am stupid, and I also said he is stupid. So we exchanged words,” he stated. According to Mr. Kpebu, the incident only strengthened his conviction that the Special Prosecutor was unfit for office. “My arrest is a confirmation that Kissi Agyebeng is incompetent,” he said. “I will petition for his removal. I have 15 allegations against him.”

Earlier reports indicated that the lawyer had been detained at an undisclosed location, raising concern among his legal team.

One of his lawyers, Mr. Marcellinus Biah, offered a detailed account of what transpired. He explained that they had honoured an invitation from the OSP and were on the premises when the confrontation began.

According to Mr. Biah, the tension arose after Mr. Kpebu granted a media interview outside the OSP compound. “It appears that one of the officers, that is, the police officer at the gate, was not too happy with Martin granting an interview outside the premises,” he said.

He described a verbal exchange between the two before Mr. Kpebu proceeded to meet the inquiry committee.

Mr. Biah said they were later informed that Mr. Kpebu would be charged with obstructing an officer.

“We were quite surprised that in the course of the proceedings, the officers went down, up and down, came back and told us that Martin was under arrest because they had gone to investigate the matter that Martin was rather the one at fault,” he narrated.

He added that although his client was briefly admitted to bail with a surety requirement, officials moved him away, leaving the legal team unsure of his location at the time.