William Yirenkyi, the founder and leader of the Alliance for Restoration of Civil Rights
The Ghana Police Service has reportedly arrested William Yirenkyi, the founder and leader of the Alliance for the Restoration of Civil Rights.
According to reports, Yirenkyi was arrested on March 18, 2025, after receiving an invitation from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to appear before them in relation to a complaint allegedly lodged against him.
In an exclusive interview during his arrest, Yirenkyi disclosed that he was taken into custody on charges of allegedly threatening the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and is set to be processed for court on March 19, 2025.
“They invited me to the police headquarters with my lawyer, Martin Kpebu, and after our arrival, they arrested me for allegedly threatening the IGP. They have brought a complainant here, telling all kinds of lies,” he said in a phone interview with Homebase TV journalist Beauty Etornam Amedzotsi.
The activist has recently been engaged in a series of legal battles with the police over multiple issues.
It may be recalled that the Ghana Police Service failed to attend a mediation hearing convened by the Right to Information Commission (RTI) on March 10, 2025, to address multiple complaints filed against the Service by William Kofi Yirenkyi.
The hearing, scheduled in accordance with Section 44(c) of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), was intended to facilitate negotiations over three pending requests for information submitted by Yirenkyi.
However, neither the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, nor any representative from the Ghana Police Service honored the invitation.
Speaking after the session, Yirenkyi expressed disappointment with the police’s absence, particularly criticizing the IGP for what he described as a blatant disregard for the law.
“We came here today for the hearing that the Right to Information Commission requested us to have with the Inspector General of Police, but when we arrived, neither he nor his representatives showed up.
“This continues to demonstrate that the IGP refuses to abide by the directives of the RTI Commission,” he stated.
He further clarified that his requests were not an attack on the police but rather an effort to exercise his right to access information. He urged the police to be more responsive to information requests.
According to Yirenkyi, his pending requests include:
Three police investigation reports related to armed robbery cases yet to be addressed.
An arrest report regarding his own detention and subsequent release, for which he seeks clarification on why the charges were dropped.
The RTI Commission, after deliberations, instructed Yirenkyi to submit a written petition detailing the exact nature of the information being requested.
The Commission also assured him that it would write to the Inspector General of Police to demand an explanation for the police’s absence at the hearing and to facilitate the release of the requested information.
AM/KA
Meanwhile, catch the first in the series of our special episodes on Forgotten Forts on People and Places on GhanaWeb TV below. This episode focuses on Fort Amsterdam at Abandze: