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The Central Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called for the unconditional release of Mr David Hammond, a teacher at Ekumfi Otabanadze in the Ekumfi District.

He was arrested and remanded into prison custody for allegedly insulting Mr Ibrahim Dawson, a District Chief Executive (DCE).

A press release signed by its Regional Secretary, Mr Boadu Abedi William on behalf of the Regional GNAT Executives, said it considered the arrest and incarceration as a “show of intimidation and abuse of power on the part of the DCE, Mr Ibrahim Dawson”.

It said the teacher was only expressing his opinion on an issue and this should not have warranted his arrest adding that the incident could put fear in other teachers in the District.

The statement also questioned why Mr Hammond was not being tried at the court in Essakyir where he was arrested instead of Ajumako and called on the Chief Justice to investigate the matter.

“We are also calling on the Chief Justice to investigate the circumstances that led to the trial and incarceration of Mr David Hammond at Ajumako instead of Essarkyir where he was arrested. Essarkyir has a magistrate court that could completely have handled this case”, the statement said.

It said the leadership of the Association would find it difficult to restrict its members in that District who would want to lay down their tools in solidarity with their incarcerated colleague.

The teacher, a former presiding member, in an interview with an Accra based Radio station, Citi FM, said his only supposed crime was that, he notified the DCE of some discrepancies in the President’s address regarding some construction projects at Ekumfi Essuehyia.

He said the DCE felt offended and first lodged a complaint at the Ekumfi District Assembly that he had insulted him and subsequently ordered his arrest and demanded that he should be tried at Ajumako.