Manhyia South MP sues Akwatia MP, Blakk Rasta for defamation

Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has filed a Writ of Summons against Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako Baidoo and broadcaster Abubakar Alhassan, popularly known as Blakk Rasta, over statements he alleges are false and defamatory.

In an official statement issued on Monday, September 28, 2026, Mr Baffour Awuah said he had initiated the civil action against the two individuals for making and publishing what he considers false statements concerning him.

The lawsuit comes amid heightened public controversy surrounding the MP following an incident at the Accra High Court complex on September 23, when officers of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) attempted to take him into custody.

EOCO subsequently confirmed that its officers had attempted to arrest the Manhyia South MP in connection with an ongoing investigation, saying the action followed his failure to honour invitations issued to him in February 2026.

Mr Baffour Awuah has disputed EOCO’s account, maintaining that he was not personally the subject of the investigation and that the invitations were directed to him in his capacity as Senior Partner of Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, a law firm representing a company involved in the investigation.

The incident occurred after the MP had appeared at the High Court as counsel for Salomey Awiti Baffoe in a case that has attracted significant public attention.

The controversy has since generated competing accounts from the parties involved, with the Akwatia MP, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, saying he did not see an attempted arrest when commenting on the incident on TV3’s The Key Points. He described what he saw as an invitation rather than an arrest and questioned why the Manhyia South MP would not make himself available to investigators.

The Ghana Bar Association has also expressed concern about the circumstances surrounding the attempted arrest, particularly because Mr Baffour Awuah was at the court premises in his capacity as a lawyer representing a client.

Against this backdrop, Mr Baffour Awuah said he had chosen to pursue the claims against Mr Bediako Baidoo and Blakk Rasta through the civil courts rather than seek criminal prosecution.

“Unlike the Government, I have chosen the path of democratic accountability by seeking redress through the civil courts, rather than pursuing criminal prosecution for the publication of what I consider to be false information,” he said.

The MP also linked the legal action to his efforts to secure the rights of a mother of three minor children whom he says was taken into custody by state security agents late on Saturday.

He alleged that the government’s actions were intended to intimidate and silence him in his efforts to pursue the matter.

“That said, I wish to state unequivocally that the attempt by the Government to intimidate and silence me in my quest to fight for the rights of a poor mother of three (3) minor children, who was allegedly taken into custody by state security agents in the late hours of Saturday and remains in police custody, has failed,” he said.

Mr Baffour Awuah said he would continue to pursue the matter through lawful and constitutional means and would not be deterred from seeking justice for the woman and her children.

“I remain committed to pursuing this matter through lawful and constitutional means and will not be deterred from seeking justice for her and her children,” he added.