Tension erupted at the Accra High Court on when officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) attempted to arrest the Manhyia South Member of Parliament (MP), Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
The incident occurred shortly after proceedings in the bail application of detained nurse Salomey Baffoe Awiti, for whom Nana Baffour Awuah is serving as defence counsel.
According to reports and viral footages from the court premises, a woman who identified herself as an EOCO official approached the MP and asked him to accompany her to the agency.
The MP reportedly questioned her identity, the reason for the intended arrest and whether she had the authority to take him into custody.
The confrontation intensified after Nana Baffour Awuah walked towards his vehicle. The EOCO official reportedly attempted to prevent him from leaving, leading to a physical altercation around the vehicle before the MP drove away.
The officer attempted to open the vehicle door as the MP was leaving and subsequently joined another vehicle that left the court premises.
Speaking to journalists at Parliament after the incident, Nana Baffour Awuah said the woman did not provide identification, proof of authority or an arrest warrant when he requested them.
He said he offered to drive himself to the EOCO office if the invitation was genuine, but the official allegedly insisted that he use their vehicle.
The MP said this heightened his suspicion and prompted him to drive away from the court premises.
“I had to drive to safety,” he told journalists, explaining that he was concerned about his responsibility to his constituents, the Minority Caucus, his family and his client.
His account, however, represents his version of events and does not establish that the EOCO officials intended to kidnap him.
EOCO has since confirmed that its officers attempted to arrest Nana Baffour Awuah, but gave a different account of the circumstances leading to the action.
In a statement issued on Wednesday September 23, the agency said the attempted arrest is connected to an ongoing investigation and followed two invitations issued to the MP in February 2026.
According to EOCO, the invitations were not honoured, prompting the Office to take steps to secure his attendance in accordance with the law.
The agency said the attempted arrest was ultimately not completed after the situation escalated and officers determined that further action could endanger public safety.
EOCO also said it had identified two people who allegedly intervened to facilitate the MP’s departure from the scene and that it is assessing their conduct for possible further action.
The Office stressed that it recognises and respects the constitutional privileges and immunities of Members of Parliament but maintained that parliamentary membership does not terminate an investigation or place an MP beyond the reach of the law.
Nana Baffour Awuah has, however, disputed EOCO’s claim that he ignored its invitations.
The confrontation has also renewed discussion about the extent of parliamentary privilege in Ghana.
Article 117 of the 1992 Constitution provides that civil or criminal process from a court or another place outside Parliament shall not be served on or executed against the Speaker, a Member of Parliament or the Clerk while the person is on the way to, attending, or returning from proceedings of Parliament.
The provision therefore creates a specific protection connected to parliamentary proceedings. It does not amount to a blanket immunity from criminal investigation or arrest simply because a person is an MP.
The Supreme Court has also explained that the protection under Article 117 concerns the timing and circumstances in which legal process may be served or executed against a Member of Parliament.
This distinction is important in the current case because the reported EOCO action occurred at the Accra High Court, rather than at Parliament.
Nana Baffour Awuah subsequently went to Parliament following the incident, where he addressed the Parliamentary Press Corps.
The confrontation followed proceedings in the case involving Salomey Baffoe, who is facing a charge of abetment of crime in connection with alleged false information linked to the Ghana Jollof TikTok account.
Nana Baffour Awuah had gone to court to argue for her release on bail after she was remanded for two weeks.
However, the High Court adjourned the bail application to Thursday, September 24, after the prosecution requested additional time to respond to the application.
Assistant State Attorney Carl Afedzi Forson told the court that he was not the substantive lawyer handling the matter and that the Attorney-General’s Office had received the bail application on Friday, September 18.
He explained that the intervening Monday public holiday had affected the assignment of the case to the appropriate lawyer.
Nana Baffour Awuah opposed the adjournment, arguing that the matter concerned the liberty of the accused person and should therefore be treated with urgency.
The court subsequently directed the prosecution to file and serve its response by 9:00 a.m. ahead of the rescheduled hearing.
The circumstances surrounding the attempted arrest, including the precise basis for EOCO’s action and the competing accounts over the February invitations, remain matters between the agency and the MP. EOCO has said its investigation remains active and that it will review available video evidence before deciding on its next steps.
By 1960news.com
