A formal petition filed with Ghana's Criminal Investigation Department is asking police to determine whether comments made by Bimbilla MP Dominic Aduna Bingab Nitiwul about the redevelopment of the Konkomba Yam Market at Agbogbloshie cross the line from political speech into criminal conduct. The petitioners, Solomon Owusu and lawyer Andrew Appiah-Danquah, want the CID to examine remarks the MP made in a video that has circulated widely online.
The petitioners have invoked Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), provisions that cover offences such as publishing or spreading false statements and inciting others to unlawful acts. This is not the first time the matter has landed before the CID, as Chale News earlier reported on an initial round of citizen petitions over the same remarks.
The underlying redevelopment project itself has been in the news in recent weeks, with Chale News covering the naming of Nima and Mamobi as part of a broader Zongo redevelopment programme. Neither the Ghanaian Times report nor earlier coverage specifies exactly what Nitiwul said in the video that triggered the complaints.
The petition against Nitiwul arrives at a moment when Ghanaians are already debating how the state treats critical or controversial public statements. Government spokesperson Shamima Muslim has pushed back on suggestions that the Mahama administration is cracking down on free expression.
At the same time, women's groups have organised a nationwide march planned for 29 September to protest what they describe as arrests over speech. Against that backdrop, the Nitiwul petition raises a pointed question for observers: whether an elected legislator's public remarks about a government redevelopment project can be treated the same way as ordinary citizens' social media posts under the same criminal statute.
For traders and residents connected to the Konkomba Yam Market, the outcome of any CID probe could shape how future commentary on the Agbogbloshie redevelopment, and similar public projects, is received by authorities. The case adds to a growing list of episodes testing how Sections 207 and 208 of Act 29 are applied to political speech.
Ghanaian Times' report does not indicate whether the CID has opened a formal investigation or set any timeline for responding to the petition. No date has been given for when, or if, Nitiwul will be asked to respond to the allegations. The 29 September march against speech-related arrests remains the next scheduled event tied to this broader national conversation.
Key points
- The petitioners invoked Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
- The case tests how Sections 207 and 208 of Act 29 are applied to political speech.
- A nationwide march against speech-related arrests is planned for 29 September.
