EOCO’s attempted arrest of Manhyia South MP was unprofessional – Agalga

Majority Leader James Agalga has criticised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over its attempt to arrest Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, describing the manner in which the operation was carried out as unprofessional.

Mr Agalga said EOCO should have engaged the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, before attempting to arrest the MP, given the privileges and immunities enjoyed by Members of Parliament.

“The way EOCO went about the attempted arrest of Baffour Awuah was unprofessional,” Mr Agalga said on TV3’s Agenda on September 29.

“They should have written to the Speaker,” he added.

The comments follow an incident at the Accra High Court Complex on September 23, 2026, where EOCO officials attempted to take Mr Baffour Awuah into custody shortly after he appeared in court as counsel for nurse Salomey Baffoe Awiti in a bail application connected to the ongoing “Ghana Jollof” case.

Videos of the incident showed a female EOCO official approaching the MP outside the court and asking him to accompany her to the agency’s headquarters.

Mr Baffour Awuah reportedly requested identification and an arrest warrant, which he said were not produced. He subsequently offered to drive himself to the EOCO office, but the official reportedly insisted that he use the agency’s vehicle.

A confrontation subsequently developed around the MP’s vehicle before he drove away to Parliament.

Mr Baffour Awuah later described the incident as an attempted state-sponsored kidnapping and an attempt to intimidate him over his representation of a client.

EOCO subsequently confirmed that its officials had attempted to arrest the MP, insisting that they were acting in the lawful discharge of their duties.

The agency said Mr Baffour Awuah had been invited twice in February 2026 to assist with an ongoing investigation but had failed to honour the invitations.

“The Office had previously invited Hon. Baffour Awuah to assist with the investigation on two occasions in February 2026. The invitations were not honoured,” EOCO stated.

The agency explained that the arrest was not completed because its officers assessed that a counter-action could endanger public safety.

Mr Baffour Awuah has, however, disputed EOCO’s account, saying he was not personally the subject of the investigation.

He explained that the investigation concerned his former law firm, Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, which represents SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited, an entity under investigation by EOCO.

According to the MP, he responded to EOCO on February 18, 2026, informing the agency that he had become a Member of Parliament and had referred the matter to the Clerk of Parliament.

He further said a lawful representative of the law firm subsequently cooperated with EOCO on March 4, March 18 and April 30, 2026.

The attempted arrest has triggered reactions from legal and political circles.

The Ghana Bar Association expressed grave concern over the incident, stressing that enforcement actions involving lawyers in the course of their professional duties must comply with constitutional guarantees.

The Ashanti Regional branch of the New Patriotic Party also condemned the operation, describing it as unlawful, while private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu argued that EOCO should have engaged the Speaker before taking steps against the MP.

EOCO has maintained that it respects parliamentary privileges and immunities but stressed that membership of Parliament does not place an individual beyond the law.