High Court orders Attorney-General to justify detention of Alhaji Seidu Abagre

The High Court has directed the Attorney-General to submit a written report explaining the continued detention of Alhaji Seidu Abagre, following claims by his legal team that he has been unlawfully held in custody since December 24, 2025.

The order was issued during hearings on a habeas corpus application challenging the legality of Abagre’s arrest and detention by the state. The court instructed that the report be filed by January 21, 2026, and adjourned the case to January 26 for further proceedings.

Alhaji Seidu Abagre has been a central figure in the long-running Bawku chieftaincy dispute, in which he claimed the title of Bawku Na Ba. However, that claim was rejected in a mediation report presented by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who led efforts to resolve the conflict.

The mediation report affirmed Naaba Asigri Abugrago Asoka II as the legitimate Bawku Naba. Following the outcome, Abagre was reportedly required either to leave Bawku and accept reassignment by the Overlord of Mamprugu, the Nayiri—who initially selected him—or to remain in the area strictly as a private citizen.

Despite this, Abagre was later arrested by the Ghana Armed Forces and handed over to the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), where he has remained in custody.

His lawyers argue that the detention is unlawful, insisting that he has been held without due process since December 24, 2025. They further contend that although the state obtained a court order to detain him, it was secured without giving Abagre the opportunity to be heard, which they say violates his constitutional rights and underpins the current application before the court.

During the proceedings, the court noted that under Section 2 of the Habeas Corpus Act, it has the discretion to order the production of a detainee and to require the custodian to file a written statement outlining the legal basis for the detention. The court added that the issue of whether Abagre should be physically produced in court would be considered after the Attorney-General’s report is filed.