Dr. Obed Asamoah, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has urged that security officials should not prosecute people for allegedly making comments about coups or threatening coups d’etats simply through word of mouth.
According to him, a person should be jailed for threatening a coup if there is sufficient evidence that the individual intends to carry out the coup and has already taken some steps or activities toward that aim.
Dr. Obed Asamoah argues that speculation about future coups d’etats is motivated by excitement and does not necessarily imply that they will be carried out.
There’s a distinction to be made between speech and action. [If I were the Attorney General,] I would only intervene if there was evidence of a plot to stage a coup. I’ll just assume it’s over-excitement if someone is only talking. “I’m not going to go around arresting people for that,” he stated.
Some observers have warned that the country’s deteriorating economic state could make it vulnerable to a military takeover.
Prof. Raymond Atuguba, the Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, recently expressed his concern that Ghana could face a coup if the government does not respond quickly.
“In this country, we do not want a coup. “However, I am concerned that if we do not move swiftly, we may soon have one in our hands,” he remarked during a lecture in Accra.
Two separate trials against people accused of treason-related offenses are currently underway.
Some members of the public have advised that discussions concerning coups d’etats be taken seriously and addressed, while others have expressed their fear that one is near.
Calls for coups, according to Dr. Obed Asamoah, are unjustified because the consequences are catastrophic and do more harm than good.