First Deputy Minority Whip files private members’ motion for inquiry into Ghana-linked narcotics seizures

The First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, has filed a private members’ motion seeking a parliamentary inquiry into a series of high-profile narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.

The motion, dated September 28, 2026, and submitted to the Clerk to Parliament under Standing Order 102, is co-sponsored by eight other New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs.

They are Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Dominic Nitiwul, Abena Osei-Asare, Patrick Boamah, Alhassan Tampuli, Mahama Abdul Kabiru and Samuel Awuku.

The proposed inquiry comes ahead of Parliament’s extraordinary sitting on Tuesday, September 29, which was summoned by Speaker Alban Bagbin following a petition led by Mr Iddrisu over recent narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.

The motion seeks the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee under Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 262 of Parliament’s Standing Orders to conduct what the sponsors describe as a thorough, transparent and bipartisan inquiry.

The committee would examine the circumstances surrounding a number of major narcotics seizures, including the nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine seized by French Customs at Dunkirk on September 10.

The motion puts the value of that consignment at about US$261 million. French authorities have separately reported the seizure at an estimated €225 million.

It also cites the 320kg methamphetamine seizure in Australia in June 2026, as well as major cocaine interceptions in Ghana in 2025.

The sponsors are further asking the committee to examine any other narcotics-related seizure linked to Ghana since the beginning of the Ninth Parliament.

A key part of the proposed inquiry would be an examination of how the consignments were processed, inspected, cleared and exported from Ghana.

The committee would investigate the ports of departure and the security procedures applied, including intelligence profiling, scanning, physical inspection and customs clearance.

It would also seek to establish the identities and roles of companies, state agencies and other entities involved in processing and clearing the consignments, subject to restrictions arising from ongoing criminal investigations.

The motion further proposes an assessment of the adequacy of scanning, surveillance, intelligence and other security systems at Ghana’s seaports, airports and points of entry and exit.

The proposed committee would also examine the status of investigations, arrests and prosecutions arising from the various seizures.

It would assess the level of cooperation and intelligence sharing between Ghanaian authorities and their counterparts in France, Australia and other jurisdictions.

Another area of focus would be efforts to identify the alleged financiers, organisers, facilitators and wider networks behind major narcotics trafficking operations.

The committee would subsequently recommend legislative, administrative, security and institutional reforms aimed at preventing Ghana from being used as an origin, transit or operational point for international narcotics trafficking.

The motion comes after the Minority Caucus petitioned the Speaker for an extraordinary sitting over what it described as urgent national security concerns arising from the seizures.

Speaker Bagbin subsequently summoned Parliament to sit at noon on Tuesday, September 29, under Article 112(3) of the Constitution and the Standing Orders. The Speaker’s original notice did not specify the detailed business for the sitting.

The Minority has argued that the scale of the seizures warrants parliamentary scrutiny, particularly regarding Ghana’s ports, customs controls, intelligence gathering and narcotics enforcement.

The call for an inquiry has also received support from groups outside Parliament. The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, for instance, has called for a

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