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Ghanaian police on Thursday arrested 49 protesters during a protest against the economic crisis in the country that has led to a high cost of living and hardship.
It was gathered that some journalists who were covering the protests that took place outside the main government building, and other bystanders were also arrested during the protest.
According to NPR, activists in Ghana have accused the police of arresting and abusing peaceful protesters as well as bystanders, but the police said the protesters were banned from assembling at the location where they were arrested.
The economic crisis and astronomical cost of living in Ghana for the past five years have sparked mass upsets in the country.
Though citizens of the country are said to have always risen up against the dwindling economy of the country, security forces have often reportedly clamped down on protests that have been taking place with increasing frequency over the past two years.
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters were said to have gathered outside of Jubilee House, Ghana's presidential palace in Accra, the country’s capital but they were met by heavily armed officers who arrested 49 people.
Police in a statement said that the protesters were arrested for "the flagrant disregard of a court process" served on the organizers, Democracy Hub, who countered that the process had not resulted in an injunction stopping them from demonstrating, NPR reports.
Meanwhile, protesters said that bystanders who dressed in black and red - the colours associated with the anti-government, cost-of-living protesters were also arrested, and two BBC journalists said they were among several journalists who were arrested and detained by police but have been released.
However, President Akufo-Addo's government has claimed the country's economic woes are a consequence of the impact of the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has contributed to rising inflation in several countries around the world.
Meanwhile, many Ghanaians have blamed the government for economic mismanagement and criticized spending on unpopular, expensive projects including a new, 5,000-capacity national cathedral, commissioned by the government which cost over $400 million.