1. When he was arrested alongside some members of the Home Study Group Foundation (HSGF) and airlifted to Accra, he cut the picture of a frail old man hardly able to walk and relying heavily on a walking stick.
  2. Many people, who saw him, exhibited empathy for a Papavi when he disembarked the chopper and was taken to the security agents for processing.

Eventually, Papavi had the charges levelled against him dropped by the Attorney General on humanitarian grounds.

No Money

DAILY GUIDE learnt that even when he was released, he was unable to return home on his own; the state had to provide a vehicle to drive him back home in the Volta Region where he was picked up.

He was said to have been given some undisclosed largesse to take care of himself only for him to regroup and start his treasonable acts all over again.

Walking Stick

His latest trick was the one he unfurled in Ho when he declared a so-called independence for Western Togoland.

“Here was a Papavi full of life without a walking stick, standing erect reading his statement to accompany the independence declaration,”a security source said.

Funeral Decoy

The source said Papavi and his men pretended to be organizing a funeral activity and his sympathizers donning the characteristic mourning colours of red and black in the course of the treasonable declaration.

“He hoodwinked the security agents into believing that the activity was really a funeral programme. It was after the declaration that they discovered how they had been fooled.

“His different postures continue to be downloaded on social media following his declaration. Whereas one had him visiting a village, another showed him sitting with his wife,” the source said.

Trickery Traits

There is a school of thought that has downgraded the threat of Papavi referring to him as a trickster who thinks he can make some money from the state through ‘negotiations’.

Some of his followers have fallen for his tricks as evidenced from a so-called military training they are undergoing in the hands of a lone soldier, Staff Sgt. Samuel Kpogli, who has already been arrested.

Daily Guide has learnt that when the Papavi ‘recruits’ report for the military training they are passed out after a few days, the soldier himself making some money for himself.

‘Presidential’ Broadcast

In an audio, Papavi told security agents that he was in the country and would not present himself to the security agents because he did not know what they would do with him.

Wife Arrested

He said in the audio that his close to 70-year-old wife was arrested and locked up, something which has been disputed by a security source.

According to the source, the woman was only questioned about the whereabouts of her husband and was never detained.

In the video which has gone viral, he described himself as the man who brought about the idea of freedom for “our land and this we have been doing for some time now.

“Last Saturday, it came to pass that a declaration was staged. Yes, we mean it. And that I am appealing to all of you, everyone to be peaceful. No declaration is staged without quarrel. It is always so. But we want to set the record for peace to prevail so that the whole world knows that we are peace-loving.”

He continued, “I am asking all kings, queens to advise their people, subordinates, subjects here and there to be peaceful. The youth should advise one another to be peaceful.”

Arrest Stories

He advised the government that “what has started happening is not the right thing. Going round arresting people in the streets, taking them and locking them up in cells, and also going to houses of every individual particularly mine and taking my near 70 years old wife and locking her up because the husband talking on the freedom of a country. No, that is not the right thing.”

He said “I have been arrested for a number of times (2017), and the very government of this country said she was no longer interested in the matter and was discharged. It came again when I spoke in 2019. I was taken to court a number of times and the government repeated the same thing. I think government is looking for peace. If now after government is not interested in the matter and I’m discharged together with those arrested with me yet the police insist that we should keep reporting to them, we did for more than several times, and it stopped somewhere (sic).”

Negotiation Bait

“If with this declaration we are being pursued again, I am asking government that if government feels that I should come back for the case to continue they are free to do so through my lawyers and I will present myself; but to look for me, I don’t know the reason, take me somewhere, I don’t know what they are going to do with me. Human as I am, I will not present myself; I am in the country anyway. I have not travelled (hidden) anywhere.”

Showing Maturity

Papavi said, “But I want the government to show maturity. Invite me legally through my lawyers and I will present myself for the case to continue. Please let us do justice.”

“Again, I am appealing to the international world, those in the corridors of peace, Amnesty International and all the groups we know, to come in to put the situation under control to avoid any possible mayhem,” he added