The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has called on the government to ensure that arrests are carried out strictly within the bounds of due process, insisting that arrests must be aimed at prosecution and not persecution.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on Wednesday, May 20, he stressed that while arrests are a normal part of law enforcement, they must not be used to intimidate citizens or silence dissent.

Mr Mohammed urged the government to ensure fairness in enforcement, insisting that arrests must always lead to proper prosecution through the courts.

“In every government there will be arrests, but due process must be respected. There is no way arrests will not happen.... There will always be arrests once crimes continue to be committed...If you want to arrest, arrest and prosecute, don’t persecute. That is what we want them to do,” he said.

Mr Mohammed questioned the use of heavy security during some arrests, arguing that such approaches are excessive.

He further referenced public debates around power supply challenges, commonly known as “Dumsor,” questioning whether citizens should be subjected to arrests for expressing opinions.

He also cited concerns about the manner in which some politically exposed persons are treated during security operations, warning against intimidation tactics.

“Do we have Dumsor or not? Dumsor came back to this country. Somebody went and wrote ‘Dumsor is back’. You go and arrest the person with heavy security, 20 with weapons. Is that allowed?”