"What Exactly Did Martin Kpebu Obstruct?" – Manasseh Azure Questions OSP's Actions

 

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has raised concerns about the legal basis for the arrest of private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). Awuni has questioned the specifics of what Kpebu allegedly obstructed, pointing to discrepancies in the OSP’s account of the incident.

In a post on social media, Awuni noted that, according to the OSP’s own version of events, Kpebu did not insist on conducting the interview on OSP premises. Instead, he left the compound to meet the reporters. When security personnel asked him and the journalists to move, Kpebu complied without argument.

"From the OSP’s narration, Martin Kpebu did not insist on conducting the interview within the compound. He walked out and met the reporters outside. The security asked them to move, and Kpebu complied without objection," Awuni explained.

He further highlighted that although the journalists reportedly wanted to protest, Kpebu instructed them to follow the security’s request and relocate. "The Joy FM reporter present said the journalists wanted to protest, but Martin Kpebu asked them to comply and move away," Awuni added. The interview was later conducted at a nearby location, at the yam seller’s spot. Afterward, Kpebu re-entered the OSP premises alone.

Awuni then questioned the grounds for Kpebu’s arrest, pointing out that the confrontation, which led to the arrest, involved a security guard and verbal exchanges, not an obstruction of an ongoing investigation. "Martin Kpebu was arrested for obstruction, but his lawyers say the bail conditions included a property registered in his name. So, what work of the OSP did he obstruct? The investigation he came there to assist, or the confrontation with the security guard about his interview outside the OSP?" he asked.

The journalist also raised constitutional and legal concerns about Kpebu’s right to speak to the media outside the OSP premises, especially since the OSP shares a boundary with a public road. "Is there a law against speaking to journalists outside the premises of the OSP, whose wall shares a boundary with a road? Does Martin Kpebu not have the right to speak to journalists outside the OSP compound, a right that should not be obstructed by the security personnel?" Awuni queried.

Awuni's comments call into question the OSP's actions and the legal justifications behind Kpebu’s arrest, raising broader concerns about the freedom of expression and media engagement outside public institutions.

Source: MyNewsGh.com