Cheremeh’s Self-Defense Went A Bit Overboard

I have read the explanation presented by Mr. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, in denial of his alleged involvement in the brutal mauling of Mr. Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye DC, on Saturday, January 13, and find it to be far more convincing than the accusation leveled against the Minister by the victim (See “Abronye Was Attacked for Insulting Chief Imam – Minister” Peacefmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 1/16/18). What I find a bit curious, however, is the Minister’s rush to apportioning blame for Mr. Baffoe’s assault, rather than allowing the police to conduct their own investigations and drawing the necessary logical conclusions.

I especially was impressed by the part where Abronye DC claimed that he had been assaulted by a gang of thugs led by Mr. Jafaru Yakubu, whom he claimed, without any substantive evidence, to be “one of the boys” of the Regional Minister. Essentially, Abronye DC claimed that Mr. Yakubu had attacked him in vengeful defense of Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh, because the latter once legally fought to get Mr. Yakubu released from prison. Consequently, in the opinion of Abronye DC, Mr. Yakubu felt obligated to stop the New Patriotic Party’s Brong-Ahafo Regional Organizer from his incessant verbal attacks on Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh.

That may very well be the case, except that even as Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh eloquently proved, in retort, the several times that he had successfully defended Abronye DC against possible jail term or out of prison, pro bono, had not inspired the BA’s NPP Youth Organizer to return such acts of kindness. But, of course, I was not the least bit convinced that just because the chief assailant lives in Atebubu and Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh lives in Sunyani, the Brong-Ahafo Capital, makes any accusation to the effect that Mr. Yakubu was acting on the instructions of Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh “moot.” The latter, of course, is the term used by the accused to refute the victim’s claim. Well, in the distance-dwarfing era of the cellphone and the computer and the Internet, the distance between Atebubu and Sunyani is decidedly far less than a stone’s throw.

The better explanation is the one involving the Minister’s pro bono defense of both Messrs. Yakubu and Baffoe. It goes without saying that Abronye DC needs to be emotionally mature and morally responsible enough to accept some of the blame for his assault. His constant use of abusive language is unbecoming of a party leader who would have our youths looking up to him. But drawing in the name of the Chief Imam of Brong-Ahafo was rather inappropriate on the part of Mr. Asomah-cheremeh, both in terms of his stature as the most powerful politician in the Brong-Ahafo Region and a professionally trained lawyer, who ought to know that it is not his place or role to determine whether assigns or sympathizers of the Brong-Ahafo Chief Imam decided to criminally take the law into their own hands, by physically answering for Mr. Baffoe’s alleged use of abusive language against the Chief Imam.

To be certain, if he so decided, the Chief Imam could very well sue the Regional Minister for slander and defamation. I am, of course, not suggesting herein that he should or ought to. I am only saying that a word to the wise must be enough for Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh.

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