Manhyia South residents, NPP executives fume over botched EOCO arrest of MP

The leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Manhyia South Constituency has condemned what it calls a botched attempt by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to arrest its Member of Parliament, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.

The party said EOCO’s conduct was unfair and unconstitutional, expressing concern over what it sees as the inappropriate treatment of a sitting Member of Parliament.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 23, at the premises of the Accra High Court, where Mr. Baffour Awuah had appeared as counsel for social commentator Salomey Baffoe Awiti, whose bail application was before the court in connection with the "Ghana Jollof" TikTok account case.

Videos circulating on social media showed a woman approaching the MP and asking him to accompany her, leading to a confrontation around his vehicle before he eventually drove off.

At a press briefing to react to the development, Manhyia South constituency executives said the action undermines the dignity of Parliament and due process.

The Constituency Women’s Organiser, Mary Coka, said she was shocked by the news, noting that the MP was only performing his professional duty as a lawyer and had not committed any crime to warrant such an arrest.

“The whole Manhyia South constituency and the entire Kumasi are in shock over this news. Now in this country we live in fear because of this Rambo-style of arrest,” she said.

She claimed the attempted arrest was politically motivated and orchestrated to silence critical voices.

According to her, EOCO's action is a smokescreen designed to shift national discourse away from pressing national security issues, particularly allegations of drug trafficking that have dominated public discussion in recent weeks.

"EOCO has never invited the MP; they just want to divert attention from the security concerns about the cocaine issues," she added.

Also addressing the media, the Manhyia South Constituency Communication Officer, Joseph Appiah, condemned the incident and said it sets a dangerous precedent for the rule of law.

He argued that if EOCO had any lawful invitation or charges against the MP, it should have followed laid-down procedures, including formally notifying the Speaker of Parliament, rather than attempting to effect an arrest on the court premises.

Mr. Appiah further said the action was an attempt to intimidate opposition MPs and called on the leadership of Parliament, civil society, and the Ghana Bar Association to speak against what he termed an abuse of power.

The constituency executive of the largest opposition party stressed that the NPP in Manhyia South is resolute and unfazed, insisting the party will not succumb to what she described as state-sponsored harassment and intimidation of its members.

Meanwhile, residents of Manhyia South have also reacted to the incident with anger and disappointment, saying the attempted arrest is an affront to the constituency.

Some of the residents, in an interview with Adom News, said they view the action as disrespectful to the mandate they gave their MP, and called on EOCO to respect the privileges and immunities of Members of Parliament.

They further urged the security agency to refrain from actions that could heighten political tension in the country and to ensure that due process is followed at all times.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.