Police allegedly reject Barker-Vormawor’s donation to former cell mates

Barker-Vormawor took to his Facebook page to condemn the development and urged Ghanaians to recommend orphanages which they could give the items to.

"We have just been informed by the Police hierarchy that the Ashaiman Police Station has been instructed not to accept the donations to Oliver Barker-Vormawor’s former cell mates.

"As we understand, the Officers have been informed that if we persist with the donation, the Police are under instructions to say that there is no senior officer to receive the items.

"We already delivered 40 bags of water to the Police before the information came through. We have been called to come back for the water.

"After deliberations, our team has decided to still proceed with the donation. The Police have the option to either accept or refuse the donations to the detainees, many of whom go days without food.

"We are extremely concerned that our institutions cannot in times of difficulty shed their partisan instinct, to ensure that donations which are intended for persons who are vulnerable, are catered for, and the complete disregard Police have for the detained to the point of rejecting donations that are meant for the detainees who desperately need it.

"If the Police refuse the donation, we will consider donating the items to another institution such as any orphanages, shelters or charities around Ashaiman.

"If you have any suggestions as to where the donation can be made, kindly let us know in the comment section," he wrote in a statement on his Facebook page on Sunday, March 20, 2022.

His post has sparked reactions among his followers, most of whom have expressed disappointment in the Ghana Police Service.

Meanwhile, the police have not responded to the allegation yet.

Barker-Vormawor is facing trial for a treason felony after his arrest in February in relation to a Facebook post he made, in which he suggested that he would stage a coup if the controversial e-levy is passed by parliament.

He said the inhumanity he witnessed in the cells within the past few weeks has inspired him to help put smiles on the faces of the inmates that are in police custody.

"The State does not provide food for persons arrested and kept in cells., no matter how long they are held. Sometimes for 3 years awaiting trial. They eat at the benevolence of the few that receive visitors," Barker-Vormawor wrote on Facebook on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

He alleged that he saw people go without food for between 3 and 5 days in the police cells, a situation that forced him to embark on a hunger strike and give his food to his cell mates.

"I want to thank my family for eventually understanding my decision to go on hunger strike, in order that I may pass on my food to those who had nothing. (Even though they struggled with my decision for health reasons)," he wrote.

"When I went into the cells, I met people who had not eaten for 3-5 days. Cells that should accommodate 3 people maximum had up to 55, at some points; with no ventilation.

"When I protested the fact that people go days without eating, I was told ‘they are used to it’."