Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has questioned the justification for keeping senior nursing officer Salomey Awity Baffoe in custody, arguing that investigators can examine her phone without detaining her for two weeks.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, September 17, Kpebu said he did not see sufficient justification for the Adenta Circuit Court 1’s decision to remand Baffoe as investigations continue into her alleged links to the Ghana Jollof TikTok account, which has been critical of government officials.
“Based on my experience as a lawyer, from what I read, I don’t think this woman should be in custody. I don’t think so,” he said.
The court on Thursday remanded Baffoe for two weeks as investigations continue.
Kpebu argued that if investigators believe material linked to the Ghana Jollof account was shared through Baffoe’s phone, the device could be secured and examined without keeping her in custody.
“The phone is seized. Then police will come back for an order to go and search the phone, etc. But not the person in custody,” he said.
He said the alleged material had already been published and that investigators did not need to keep Baffoe in custody to establish what was contained on the device.
“Her phones are what you need. You don’t need a person in custody,” he said.
Kpebu distinguished the case from investigations involving suspects who may pose an immediate threat or where there is direct evidence linking them to a serious offence.
He cited cases involving major drug seizures or situations where a person is alleged to have physically harmed another as circumstances in which remand may serve a clearer investigative purpose.
“But this particular type, so I’m talking based on experience, the way we differentiate the cases,” he said.
Kpebu said he supported continued police investigations but maintained that detention was not necessary to achieve that objective.
“By all means, police should investigate, but I don’t think remand was necessary,” he said.
Source:Fiilafmonline/CitiNews
