Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor when he arrived in court

Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor charged with treason felony; remanded in police custody for 2 weeks

Benjamin Xornam Glover & Della Russel Ocloo Feb - 14 - 2022 , 10:34

An Ashaiman District Court has remanded into police custody one of the convenors of the #FixTheCountry movement, Mr Oliver Mawuse Barker-Vormawor for two weeks.

The police Monday charged Mr Barker-Vormawor with treason felony.

The court presided over by Mrs Eleanor Kakra Barnes-Botchway, denied a bail application saying the court did not have jurisdiction to grant the accused bail per the charge preferred against him.

He has been remanded into police custody for the next two weeks and is expected to reappear before the court on Monday, February 28, 2022.

Background

Mr Barker-Vormawor, a social media activist and one of the convenors of the #FixTheCountry movement was arrested by the police last Friday for “threatening a coup”.

A police statement said he was arrested by the Tema Regional Police Command following a post he allegedly made on social media to the effect that he would stage a coup himself if the E-Levy Bill is passed by Parliament.

Mr Barker-Vormawor in a series of Facebook posts this week described the Ghana Army as "useless".

He is said to have incited the army to stage a coup over the proposed E-Levy Bill in Parliament.

According to the police, “the post contained a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the constitution of the Republic of Ghana,” the police statement dated February 12, 2022, signed by the Director-General of Public Affairs, DCOP Kwesi Ofori said.

Demand for release

Earlier Monday morning, some members of the #FixTheCountry movement converged in front of the Ashaiman Police Station to demand the release of Mr Barker-Vormawor.

The group, holding a banner with the inscriptions #FreeOliverNow #WeAreAllOliver #ActivismIsNotCrime #StopTheCOSNow #IAmOliver, and clad in red and black, started gathering close to the Police Station at about 5:30am.