I nearly died in EOCO custody, I was seeing dead relatives – Chairman Wontumi
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has recounted what he described as a harrowing experience during his detention by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
Wontumi was arrested on May 27, 2025, after being invited by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over alleged offences including fraud, causing financial loss to the state, and money laundering.
Speaking during former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign stop in the Adansi Asokwa constituency on September 10, Chairman Wontumi described the physical and psychological toll of his detention.
“When I was arrested by EOCO, if you move your legs three times, that’s the width of the place where I was kept. If you look at where I slept, I nearly died,” he said.
He added that the suffering went beyond physical discomfort, claiming he felt spiritually close to death.
“If someone is about to die, you would know; you would see your relatives who have already passed away. You would begin to sense their presence around you, which literally means you are about to join them,” he explained.
Chairman Wontumi went on to liken his ordeal to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, recalling a moment he said felt like Christ’s final cry on the cross.
“I felt the presence of death around me in the place I was kept, just like when Jesus Christ shouted, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani’ during his crucifixion. That’s when I also shouted, ‘People of Ghana, arise! Ghana, arise! It is because of you that I am being treated this way,’” he added.
Wontumi’s remarks come at a time when several NPP figures have accused the Mahama-led government of harassing and persecuting opposition members and sympathisers.
