THE Minority in Parliament has questioned the attempted arrest of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, at the Accra High Court.
The incident occurred yesterday after the MP appeared before the court as counsel for his client, Salomey Baffoe Awiti, a nurse from Techiman, whose bail application was adjourned.
Speaking to journalists after the incident, Nana Baffour Awuah said a woman approached him after the proceedings and identified herself as an officer of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
He said the officer asked him to accompany her to the EOCO office, but he requested to know why he was being taken away and whether the Speaker of Parliament had been informed.
According to him, he declined to follow the officer because he had not personally received any invitation from EOCO.
He alleged that an attempt was subsequently made to force him into a vehicle, but he resisted and entered his own car.
The incident followed the adjournment of Ms Awiti’s bail application. The defence filed the application on September 18, but the Attorney-General’s side told the court it had been short-served and required more time to respond. The court subsequently fixed today at 1 p.m. for the application to be heard.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, raised the incident at a press briefing, questioning the manner in which the attempted arrest was carried out.
He said law enforcement agencies must respect the constitutional privileges of MPs and follow due procedure if they require a legislator for questioning.
Meanwhile, EOCO has rejected any suggestion that its officers acted outside the law.
In a statement issued shortly after the incident, the EOCO said its officers were acting in the lawful discharge of their statutory duties in connection with an ongoing investigation.
It said the MP had been invited twice in February 2026 to assist with investigations, but did not honour the invitations. It said the attempted arrest was therefore one of the lawful steps taken to secure his attendance.
The Office said the confrontation escalated and the arrest was not completed after officers assessed that further action could endanger public safety.
EOCO acknowledged the constitutional privileges and immunities of MPs, but stressed that parliamentary status did not, by itself, terminate an investigation or place a person beyond the reach of the law.
It said the investigation remained active and that video evidence and the circumstances surrounding the incident would be reviewed to determine its next steps.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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