A high-tension standoff erupted on Friday, May 23, 2025, at the Kumasi residence of Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, widely known as Chairman Wontumi, after officers from the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and Ghana Police Service attempted to arrest him. The motive behind the heavily armed operation remains undisclosed.
As news of the attempted arrest spread, scores of NPP supporters gathered outside the chairman’s home in a spontaneous show of defiance. What began as a trickle quickly grew into a large crowd, with many chanting party slogans and demanding the immediate withdrawal of security forces from the premises.
Wontumi, believed to be inside the house at the time of the raid, reportedly engaged with the officers and assured them of his willingness to respond to their invitation on Monday, May 26. The standoff eased only after the NIB ordered its personnel to stand down and vacate the premises.
“When you are going to arrest someone and arrive with about 20 vehicles, when the person is neither a coup plotter nor has any intention to overthrow the government, I don’t think it is appropriate,” said Kwame Adom-Appiah, the NPP’s Ashanti Regional Secretary and a member of Wontumi’s legal team.
“Deploying that many cars is not only excessive but also a burden on the state. A simple invitation would have sufficed. And even if he failed to honour it, there are proper, lawful ways to effect an arrest.”
Although calm has been restored, a significant group of party loyalists has continued to hold vigil near the residence, vowing to protect their chairman against what they describe as political intimidation. The incident has drawn wide attention, prompting calls for clarity on the reason behind the attempted arrest and the show of force by state security.
