A 42-year-old man, who allegedly hurled insults on Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, at Ntobroso in the Atwima Mponua District, has been arrested and kept in police custody.
Dominic Adu Boi, verbally attacked the Minister, who was in the community together with other government officials and journalists, to inspect ongoing feeder road projects in the area.
The minister had attempted to persuade some cocoa farmers in the community from drying beans on the newly constructed road, as it could cause accidents and destroy the road.
Adu Boi, who emerged from nowhere, was believed to have shouted at the Minister without any provocation, saying the farmers would not remove the cocoa beans from the road.
The suspect allegedly said the road was not an illegal mining pit, and that, even if the farmers removed the cocoa, they would bring them back after the minister had left the place.
Mr Osei Mensah, in a jovial mood, said if he joked, he would cause his arrest, and this infuriated Adu Boi, who insulted the Minister.
Adu Boi supposedly said the minister could not cause his arrest and if even he was arrested, he would be released for him to insult the minister again.
The minister was said to have ordered his bodyguards to whisk Adu Boi away.
However, the residents and the opinion leaders in the community, including the assembly member, pleaded on his behalf and asked him to apologise to the Regional Minister.
Adu Boi refused to apologize to the minister and the minister asked the police to arrest Adu Boi and take him to the Ashanti Regional Police command, in Kumasi for further investigations. – GNA
