Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has challenged the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to redirect its investigative powers towards identifying and prosecuting the financiers and kingpins behind Ghana’s growing narcotics trade instead of, in his words, using state power to harass political opponents.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority is not opposed to legitimate investigations into suspected economic and organised crime, but insisted that such investigations must be conducted fairly and without political considerations.
His comments follow the arrest and investigation of the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, in connection with the EOCO investigation into SIC Life Savings & Loans.
According to the Minority Leader, the treatment of the MP raises questions about the manner in which EOCO exercises its investigative powers, particularly when compared with what he described as the agency’s inadequate pursuit of major narcotics trafficking networks.
He argued that the same determination being demonstrated in pursuing a lawyer-legislator should be directed at the individuals financing, organising and benefiting from large-scale drug trafficking operations involving Ghana.
Mr Afenyo-Markin’s concerns stem from an incident on September 23, 2026, when an EOCO official confronted Mr Baffour Awuah after the MP had appeared at the Accra High Court to argue a bail application for a detained nurse.
The Minority Leader said the EOCO official sought to arrest the MP but did not produce a warrant or identification at the time.
A warrant was subsequently obtained, with the court directing that it be executed through the Speaker of Parliament.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said Mr Baffour Awuah had earlier referred EOCO’s February invitations to the Clerk of Parliament, but the agency allegedly declined to recognise the correspondence.
“Nothing publicly available to us shows that EOCO subsequently approached the Speaker before seeking the warrant,” he said.
He therefore questioned the basis on which EOCO reportedly concluded that it had exhausted reasonable avenues to secure the MP’s attendance.
According to him, the circumstances risk creating the impression that the MP deliberately evaded the anti-graft agency.
Mr Baffour Awuah subsequently reported himself to EOCO on October 1, accompanied by his lawyer and fellow MPs.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the MP was kept waiting for several hours before questioning began, describing the development as raising concerns about fairness in the exercise of investigative powers.
He, however, stressed that the Minority is not seeking to prejudge the underlying SIC Life Savings & Loans investigation.
“We do not by this seek to prejudge the SIC Life Savings & Loans investigation. No one is above the law, EOCO included,” he stated.
The Minority Leader’s strongest challenge is directed at the handling of Ghana’s narcotics problem.
Citing a JoyNews Research report published on October 1, 2026, Mr Afenyo-Markin said Ghana had recorded 11 cocaine cases among 28 drug seizures since March 2025, involving the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the National Intelligence Bureau, the Ghana Police Service and foreign authorities.
He said the research estimated the street value of the cocaine seized at as much as $1.7 billion.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said the scale of the seizures raised questions about whether law enforcement agencies were going far enough to identify those behind the trafficking networks.
He cited the seizure of nearly 4,500 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Port of Amsterdam, concealed in timber supplied by a Ghanaian company, describing it as the biggest such seizure recorded at the port.
He also referenced the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in Dunkirk in a container shipped from Ghana, approximately 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine intercepted in Australia in a consignment containing Ghanaian charcoal, and the domestic interception of about 3.3 tonnes of cocaine beneath sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction.
“These developments raise a fundamental question: who are the financiers, organisers and beneficiaries?” he asked.
For Mr Afenyo-Markin, the central issue is not merely the seizure of narcotics but whether authorities are successfully dismantling the criminal networks responsible for financing and organising the trade.
He therefore challenged EOCO and NACOC to work together to trace the money behind the drug trade, identify the beneficiaries and pursue their assets through lawful means.
“EOCO and NACOC must collaborate. Follow the money. Trace the assets. Pursue the kingpins,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin accused the government of creating a situation in which the coercive powers of the state could be used to intimidate opposition politicians and critical voices.
He described the treatment of Mr Baffour Awuah as part of what he considers a broader attempt to intimidate the opposition.
He insisted that EOCO must be allowed to perform its statutory functions but said its authority should not be exercised selectively.
“The use of investigative power must also serve the public interest and be exercised fairly, regardless of political affiliation,” he stated.
He argued that if EOCO has the mandate to investigate organised economic crime, the agency should demonstrate that mandate by going after the financial structures and individuals allegedly behind major narcotics operations.
The Minority Leader also criticised the government’s handling of illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
He alleged that the government had shown greater interest in the foreign exchange generated from the gold sector than in the environmental destruction associated with illegal mining.
He referred to President John Mahama’s acknowledgement that individuals associated with his administration are involved in illegal mining and his reference to “big fish who never get caught.”
Mr Afenyo-Markin also questioned the status of a July 2025 directive to investigate two NDC officials over allegations linked to illegal mining.
He said the continued pollution of rivers and what he described as a lack of accountability raised questions about the effectiveness of the government’s response to the illegal mining menace.
Mr Afenyo-Markin outlined three demands in his statement.
First, he called for the immediate and unconditional release of Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah from EOCO custody.
Second, he demanded an end to what he described as the misuse of arrest and prosecution to intimidate political opponents or suppress free expression.
Third, he called for vigorous investigations into narcotics and illegal-mining networks, including the lawful tracing and freezing of suspected criminal assets, evidence-based prosecutions and public accountability for the outcome of investigations.
The Minority Leader said Ghanaians deserved to see concrete results in the fight against organised crime, particularly the prosecution of individuals who finance and benefit from large-scale drug trafficking.
He warned EOCO’s leadership that public authority comes with responsibility and accountability.
“To the NDC: you will not harass us into silence. The Minority will continue holding this government to account. We will not bend the knee. The culture of silence is not coming back,” he stated.
By 1960news.com
