“They Handcuffed Me for 12 Hours and Found Nothing” — Abutrica Gives Full Account of Dramatic Arrest

By Yaw Opoku Amoako June 3, 2026

Ghanaian businessman and internet personality Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abutrica, has spoken publicly for the first time about the dramatic circumstances surrounding his arrest and the subsequent attempt to extradite him to the United States — and his account paints a picture of a day that began at dawn and did not end until well into the night.

According to Abutrica, the ordeal was set in motion by a TikTok video showing him holding a sum of money — a video he says had nothing to do with him.

“They went to TikTok and asked me about some picture of me holding an amount of money on there, that I should produce that money,” he recounted. “I told them that I do not have any TikTok account and that I am not the one who posted that. I do not even have a TikTok app on my phone.”

His denials, however, did not slow the operation that followed. Narcotics officers descended on his apartment in force — arriving alongside members of the Cyber Security Agency and police in trucks, all wearing face masks.

What followed was a search that lasted from 9 am to between 9 and 10 pm — roughly twelve hours during which Abutrica and his associates sat in handcuffs throughout.

“The Narcotics people searched the whole apartment including the ceiling,” he said, adding that when he requested to contact his lawyer, the reaction from officials was hostile.

“I even told them to let me call my lawyer and it got them infuriated.”

Authorities also pressed him about vehicles found on the premises, which he says he explained were part of his car sales business. Despite the exhaustive search, nothing incriminating was reportedly found.

“After searching in vain without any success of finding money, they asked me about the cars parked there and I told them they are cars I sell,” he said.

He was nonetheless taken into Narcotics Control custody, where he remained for one month and two weeks, making repeated court appearances during that period.

Adding to the confusion surrounding the case, Abutrica revealed that authorities initially charged him under the wrong name entirely.

“They charged me as Emmanuel Adu Baah before they later realised that was not my name,” he said — a detail that raises further questions about the thoroughness of the process that led to his detention.

Abutrica’s account is the first time he has addressed the matter directly and in such detail, and it is likely to intensify public scrutiny of the agencies involved in his arrest.