Personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, accompanied by officials from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), have apprehended two officials from the Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine Study Centre located in Ashaiman, Greater Accra.

This action on Wednesday, July 28, stems from allegations that the institution has been running unaccredited programmes and operating without proper accreditation.

The arrests occurred after the CID team waited for the arrival of one of the directors, Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, who manages the daily operations of the college.

After failing to obtain proof of accreditation for the college and its programmes, the officials decided to detain Ademan Tetteh, one of the directors, and Christiana Akpaloo, the college registrar.

The third director, Daniel Tetteh Boafo, was reportedly unavailable, as he is said to be a farmer.

These arrests are part of a broader nationwide investigation targeting individuals operating unaccredited tertiary institutions and those unlawfully using the title of "honorary professor."

GTEC has been under pressure to enforce compliance, particularly following numerous reports of institutions offering unaccredited educational programmes.

The Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine Study Centre is known for offering a variety of programmes, including:

• Four-year BTech programmes
• Mini MBA programmes
• Three-year HND programmes
• Professional diploma programmes
• National proficiency certificates (levels one and two)

During the investigation, CID officials uncovered an award shield presented to Mr. Obu by Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University in Ukraine, which he has used to justify his honorary professor title.

Tetteh, who was also arrested, claimed to have received an honorary doctorate from a Nigerian institution, though he could not recall its name.

After the arrests, Jerry Sarfo, the Director for Corporate Affairs at GTEC, addressed the media, stating, “This exercise is necessary because there have been persistent calls for people to desist from running unaccredited programmes, and yet they keep doing it. So, there was a need for us to actually enforce compliance.”

He emphasised GTEC's firm stance against institutions operating without proper accreditation, which was the case with Nyarkotey College.

Mr Sarfo further highlighted the need for further interactions with the arrested individuals at the police station to understand the full extent of their operations.

In a related development, GTEC has also taken steps against Richard Kofi Asiedu, the Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for his unauthorised use of the honorary professor title.

In a letter dated July 28, 2025, GTEC accused Asiedu of ignoring previous directives to cease using the title, labelling it as “unethical” and a violation of national law.

GTEC had previously instructed Asiedu to remove the title from all official documentation and provide proof of his highest academic qualification for verification.

However, GTEC expressed concern over his continued use of the title, as seen in promotional materials for the EELL 2025 Conference, where he was listed as “Prof. Richard Kofi Asiedu”.

Citing Section 8(4)(d) of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1023), GTEC reaffirmed its authority to regulate the use of academic titles and warned that failure to comply could result in legal action.

The letter, signed by Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, Director-General of GTEC, also urged the NDC's National Chairman to ensure compliance from Asiedu, warning of potential legal proceedings if he persists.

GTEC has clarified that its actions are not politically motivated but are instead focused on maintaining the integrity of academic titles and ensuring that educational standards are upheld in Ghana.

As the investigation continues, GTEC remains committed to enforcing compliance and protecting the credibility of the nation’s educational institutions.