Ghana’s Salomay Awiti case: can the state justify its silence?

What happens when a nurse’s midnight arrest collides with Ghana’s democratic promises? Salomay Bafoh Awiti—a graduate nurse at Abetifi Hospital in Techiman—was seized from her home by heavily armed security agents, thrown into secret detention, and denied access to her family for days. Her lawyer, Enoch Afoakwa, has since laid bare the machinery of national security agencies, raising an urgent question: how far will the state go to keep its secrets? The stakes are not merely one woman’s freedom, but the integrity of a nation that has long prided itself on the rule of law.

A knock at midnight, three children left behind

When agents stormed Awiti’s residence around 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, they handcuffed her in front of relatives. The stated reasons were vague—suspicious mobile money transactions and the circulation of videos deemed “offensive.” She was taken to an undisclosed location. More disturbing still, the officers abandoned her three minor children, aged 4 and 15, without any care or supervision.

For over 48 hours, exceeding the constitutional limit for detention without charge, her family and legal team hit a wall of silence. Neither the Ghana Police Service, the National Security Secretariat, nor the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) would confirm where she was held.

From secret cell to court: accusations that defy logic

Enoch Afoakwa eventually tracked his client to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra, but only after a grueling search. He has condemned abusive interrogation methods, noting that Awiti faced repeated pressure to give statements without her lawyer present.

When she was finally brought before Circuit Court One, the prosecution alleged a conspiracy to “overthrow the government” involving a virtual intermediary. The defense dismissed the charge as absurd, pointing out that prosecutors failed to provide even a charge sheet before the hearing. “We are back to the darkest hours of our history,” Afoakwa declared, denouncing systematic violations of constitutional safeguards.

Parliament’s uneasy silence and the institutional gamble

The shockwaves have reached Parliament, where the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its legal figures—such as MP and lawyer Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah—face mounting pressure from civil society and human rights groups. While some lawmakers defend the institutions’ firmness on national security, the public is left wondering where counter-crime efforts end and judicial intimidation begins.

As medical professionals and civil liberties advocates protest, the court has adjourned proceedings, forcing the prosecution to formalize its accusations. Beyond Awiti’s individual fate, this case has become the ultimate test of Ghana’s democratic resilience against the temptations of state arbitrariness.

By Emmanuel Mbarga — Reporter