Ghanaian pharmacist, artiste manager and building contractor Shadrack Agyei Owusu, a former manager of musician Black Sherif, has sued the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney General over what he describes as an unlawful and humiliating arrest.

Owusu is seeking GH¢5 million in compensation for alleged violations of his fundamental human rights, as well as US$80,000 in special damages over what he claims was the loss of a construction contract following the circulation of videos of his arrest.

The suit, filed at the Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra, is numbered HR/0202/2026.

The motion was dated August 25, 2026, while Owusu’s supporting affidavit was sworn on August 26, 2026.

According to the court documents, Owusu alleges that four heavily armed police officers arrived at his residence at about 6 a.m. on June 11, 2026, and informed him that he was under arrest.

He claims he asked the officers to explain the reason for his arrest and requested to see a warrant authorising his arrest or a search of his residence.

However, according to his affidavit, the officers did not provide him with a warrant or an explanation at the time.

Owusu further alleges that the officers searched his rooms and insisted that he accompany them to the National Police Headquarters, telling him that he would be informed of the reason for his arrest after getting there.

A major part of Owusu’s complaint concerns the manner in which he says the arrest was carried out.

He claims he was wearing only boxer shorts when the police arrived because he had not yet dressed for the day.

According to him, he asked the officers to give him a few minutes to put on proper clothing, but his request was allegedly refused.

He was subsequently handcuffed and escorted from his residence in his boxer shorts before being transported through public streets to the National Police Headquarters on Ring Road, Accra.

Owusu says the incident happened in the presence of his four young children, who he claims became distressed after witnessing their father being handcuffed by armed police officers.

“I suffered considerable embarrassment, humiliation and distress as members of the public looked on while I was being transported in an almost naked condition under police escort,” he stated in his affidavit.

He argues that the manner of his arrest violated his constitutional right to human dignity and amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Complaints over vehicle, property and construction

Owusu says he was eventually informed at the Police Headquarters that one Sarhene Raphael had lodged a complaint against him.

According to the affidavit, Raphael accused him of unlawfully taking possession of a Range Rover vehicle which was allegedly intended to be sold to recover a debt owed to Owusu.

Raphael also allegedly accused Owusu of unlawfully taking possession of a house that he was reportedly in the process of purchasing from him.

Owusu denied the allegations and told investigators that the issues stemmed from commercial and contractual dealings between the parties.

He explained that he came to know Raphael through musician Black Sherif, whom he said he was managing around 2021.

According to Owusu, Raphael and his mother approached him in August 2024 after Raphael was allegedly detained by the police over accusations relating to approximately US$180,000.

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Owusu claims he subsequently assisted in settling the debt and that an arrangement was reached for the money to be repaid to him.

A handwritten document attached to his affidavit allegedly records a US$180,000 debt, of which US$106,250 had been repaid, leaving an outstanding balance of US$73,750.

The affidavit also refers to separate disputes involving land and a building project at Tse Addo in Accra.

Owusu says one client alleged that the level of completion of the building did not correspond with an alleged US$400,000 payment.

He denied the claim, maintaining that construction work depended on the progressive release of funds.

He also claims the client owed him US$180,000.

Police allegedly classified complaints as civil disputes

A key part of Owusu’s case is his claim that the police eventually determined that the complaints against him did not disclose any criminal offence.

According to his affidavit, the complainants were invited to appear before the Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service at the National Police Headquarters.

Owusu says the Director of Operations heard the parties and concluded that the complaints were essentially civil disputes arising from commercial and contractual transactions.

He claims the complaints were subsequently dismissed for allegedly disclosing no criminal offence against him.

“Notwithstanding the subsequent conclusion reached by the Director of Operations, the damage to my dignity, privacy, reputation and standing had already occurred as a result of the manner in which I had been arrested and exposed to the public,” he stated.

Videos of arrest allegedly went viral

Owusu further claims that videos of his arrest were recorded and subsequently circulated widely on social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X and WhatsApp, as well as on various online news platforms.

He says the videos showed him in handcuffs being escorted by armed police officers while wearing only boxer shorts.

According to him, some publications accompanying the videos allegedly linked him to fraudulent activities and claimed that he had collected approximately US$1 million from individuals under the pretext of selling land and properties.

Owusu maintains that the allegations were never substantiated by the police.

He also claims the videos and publications were viewed more than one million times, causing significant damage to his reputation among his patients, business associates, artistes, contractors, clients and members of the public.

“Many persons who viewed the videos formed the impression that I was a fraudster and a dangerous criminal,” he stated.

Claims loss of US$80,000 from construction deal

Owusu is also seeking US$80,000 in special damages over an alleged construction contract he says was terminated following the publicity surrounding his arrest.

According to the affidavit, Grand Move Construction Limited, where Owusu says he serves as Chief Executive Officer, entered into a US$200,000 construction agreement with Edward Osei of Dawards Bond Limited in November 2024.

Under the agreement, US$120,000 was reportedly paid as earnest money and part payment, while the remaining US$80,000 was to be paid upon completion and handover of the project.

Owusu says the project, involving a six-unit, four-bedroom residential development at Oyarifa, had reached lintel level before his arrest.

He alleges that following his arrest and the subsequent publication of reports portraying him as a fraudster and criminal, the client terminated the agreement and prevented him from completing the project.

He is therefore seeking to recover the outstanding US$80,000 as special damages, arguing that the loss was a direct consequence of the alleged reputational damage caused by his arrest.

GH¢5m compensation sought

In his application, Owusu is asking the High Court to declare that his arrest and detention were unlawful and violated his constitutional right to personal liberty.

He is also seeking a declaration that the manner of his arrest, including being handcuffed in the presence of his children and allegedly transported through public streets while wearing only boxer shorts, violated his right to human dignity.

Among the reliefs being sought are:

* GH¢5 million in compensation or compensatory damages for alleged violations of his fundamental human rights;

* US$80,000 in special damages for the alleged loss of the Oyarifa construction contract;

* General damages;

* Legal costs on a full indemnity basis; and

* Any other orders the court considers appropriate.

The Ghana Police Service is the first respondent, while the Attorney General is the second respondent.

Owusu maintains that the conduct of the officers involved amounted to a “gross violation” of his constitutional rights.

However, the allegations contained in the affidavit are claims made by Owusu in support of his human rights application and have not been determined by the High Court.

The respondents will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations as the case proceeds.

According to the court documents, a hearing date had not been fixed at the time the application was prepared.



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