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• They were arrested at the Accra High Court ahead of a court ruling on a police injunction against the #FixTheCountry protest
• The actress is one of the conveners of the #FixTheCountry campaign
Social media sensation and a member of the #FixTheCountry campaign, Efia Odo has spoken following her release from police custody after she was arrested together with 14 others at an Accra High Court, Friday.
Efia Odo who is one of the conveners of the campaign demanding for better living conditions through the #FixTheCountry movement was at the Accra High Court ahead of the court’s ruling on a police injunction seeking to stop the group from embarking on a street protest.
Speaking to the media immediately after lawyers of the group secured bail for herself and the remaining 14 individuals, Efia Odoexpressed disappointment in how her arrest was criminalised by the conduct of the police officers.
“I was inside the courtroom and the judge called for a recess that we should come back at 1:30 to get our final verdict. So, as I came outside, obviously a lot of campaigners were outside to support and they wanted to take pictures.
“I am a public figure and they wanted to show their support. A lot of commotion was going on and all of a sudden we see police come with their guns as if we were criminals and they just aggressively pulled us in,” she narrated.
Court throws out injunction against #FixTheCountry demo
An Accra High Court has thrown out an injunction by the Ghana Police Service against the organisers of the #FixTheCountry from holding a street protest.
The Court on Friday, June 25, 2021, ruled in a case in which the Ghana Police citing public health concerns and the COVID-19 restrictions was asking for the conveners of the #FixTheCountry protest to be barred from proceeding with their demonstration.
The group has in the past weeks been demanding better living conditions through social media protests and has been challenged in their decision to take the protest onto the streets.
The Police were seeking to stop the group from embarking on the street protest by citing public health concerns and the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions as its basis.
One of the issues that came up during the court case was the legitimacy of the Attorney General’s Office to represent the Ghana Police Service.
In their challenge against the Attorney General from representing the Police, lawyers for the conveners of the protest argued that the court cannot hear a matter on public order which has been filed in the name of the Republic instead of a police officer as mandated by the constitution.
“The applicant does not have the capacity to bring this application under section 1 subsection 6 of the public order act. Act 491. And as such, the Court is not clothed with jurisdiction to hear or grant the application,” Julius Assinyo said in court.
The Public Order Act section 1(6) which was being relied on by the campaigners to argue their case reads, “where the organiser refuses to comply with the request under subsection 4 or fails to notify the police officer in accordance with subsection 5, the police officer may apply to the justice or chairman of the regional tribunal.”
In his counterargument, the Attorney General described the application as being “completely misconceived and a misunderstanding of the fundamental laws regarding this application.”
The court however sided with the Attorney General and allowed him to represent the Police in the case.
With the injunction against the #FixTheCountry demo quashed, it is not yet known how the organizers intend to go on with their plans or whether the Police and the Attorney General’s Office will explore other opportunities to stop the protest.
