Alexander Afenyo‑Markin, Ghana’s Minority Leader, has publicly challenged the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to prioritize the investigation of drug‑trafficking financiers rather than opposition figures.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, October 1, the Effutu MP accused EOCO of placing undue emphasis on arresting and probing political opponents while failing to act with equal urgency against major narcotics networks linked to Ghana.
His remarks followed EOCO’s detention of Member of Parliament Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah of Manhyia South, who was held in connection with an ongoing inquiry into transactions involving SIC Life Savings & Loans.
Baffour Awuah voluntarily reported to EOCO on October 1, accompanied by lawyer Samuel Atta Akyea and other MPs, after the Accra High Court issued an arrest warrant and authorised searches for documents relevant to the investigation.
EOCO had informed the court that it had exhausted reasonable means of securing the MP’s voluntary attendance. Afenyo‑Markin disputed this claim, stating that Baffour Awuah had previously referred EOCO’s February invitations to the Clerk of Parliament, yet the agency did not acknowledge the correspondence.
“We do not seek to prejudge the SIC Life Savings & Loans investigation. No one is above the law, EOCO included,” Afenyo‑Markin wrote. “But we believe the MP’s treatment forms part of a broader attempt to intimidate critical opposition voices.”
The Minority Leader also questioned EOCO’s decision to seek an arrest warrant, noting that nothing publicly available shows the agency approached the Speaker before obtaining the warrant.
He warned that a false impression is being created that the MP deliberately avoided EOCO, and urged the agency to focus on the real threat posed by drug‑trafficking networks.
What follows remains to be seen as EOCO reviews its strategy and the Parliament debates the balance between political accountability and national security.
