He described it as a horrible and agonising experience.
The renowned politician explained the reason for his detention, claiming that it was invalid since he had not committed any offence that warranted his imprisonment.
“Honestly, I did nothing that should have gotten me even arrested. What happened was that they were looking for Kweku Baako and a few friends who they thought were a danger and a rival movement to the then Rawling’s government, which was taking over power from this country. Kweku Baako had come to visit me because the place was becoming a bit dangerous, and he’s been advised to leave town.
“He wanted to go to Abijan by road. So, he asked my permission, and I said, Why not? I have a house in Takoradi; he can go and live there and continue his journey. Not that they were looking for him officially, but he really felt threatened,” he reminisced.
Unfortunately, Mr. Blay’s good act added to his anxiety because he was accused of being an accomplice to Kweku Baako’s team.
“I was kept at the barracks for about two to three months and sent to Ho Prisons, where I stayed for about seven more months, and then brought to Usher Fort for about a month or two. Afterwards, I was freed. I was happy to be freed because the experience was bad.”
“They gave me severe beatings, and fortunately, they saw Kweku Baako in my house, arrested him, and started shooting in the house. At that time, my wife, who was then my girlfriend, and we were getting closer to marriage had a miscarriage there and then because of the way they were shooting around. They carried myself and Kweku Baako back to Accra and put us in custody just because he was my friend and had been kept in my house,” Mr. Blay further narrated.
When asked if he was told what offence Kweku Baako had committed, the former NPP chairman responded, “No.”
However, the trauma he experienced did not hinder his political ambitions, and he aspired to be one of Ghana’s most well-known leaders.
Freddie Blay became the NPP’s chairman in 2018.
