How my association with Kweku Baako got me arrested by Rawlings' govt - Freddie Blay shares harrowing prison story

Former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has shared the harrowing story of his arrest and imprisonment under the PNDC regime.

In an exclusive interview with Joy, Freddie Blay described the ordeal as “awful and painful,” highlighting the unjust nature of his apprehension.

“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 his place was becoming a bit dangerous, and he had been advised to leave town. He wanted to go to Abidjan 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,” Blay recounted.

Unfortunately, Freddie Blay’s association with Kweku Baako led to suspicions of his involvement in the matter.

“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 Ussher 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 the time, my wife, who was then my girlfriend, 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,” Blay further narrated.

When asked if he was informed of Kweku Baako’s crime, Freddie Blay responded, “No.”

Freddie Blay was a Member of Parliament in Ghana and served as the First Deputy Speaker in the Fourth Parliament of Ghana.

He lost his seat in the general elections held on 7 December 2008 to Armah Kofi Buah of the NDC.

He was a member of the Convention People's Party (CPP), but resigned to join the New Patriotic Party after being criticized by some CPP stalwarts for not campaigning for the CPP flagbearer Paa Kwesi Nduom, instead endorsing NPP presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.

After joining the NPP, he stood for and got elected to the post of Vice Chairman of the party in April 2014. After the party expelled its Chairman Paul Afoko, it appointed Blay as its acting Chairman. He stood for and was elected as substantive Chairman of the party at an NPP party national conference in Koforidua that took place from 7 to 8 July 2018.

In the prelude to the Chairmanship race, a lot of controversy was generated when Blay promised to and eventually bought 275 buses for the 275 constituencies of the party for a purported cost of 11 million dollars. The opposition asked for an investigation.

NAY/EK