Afenyo-Markin Tells EOCO to Pursue Drug Kingpins, Not Political Opponents, After MP's Arrest
- Minority Leader Afenyo-Markin urged EOCO to pursue the kingpins behind recent substance seizures worth up to $1.7 billion instead of persecuting the government's political opponents
- His comments followed the arrest of Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who voluntarily reported to EOCO on October 1, 2026, over the SIC case
- The Effutu MP claimed the government was using state power to intimidate critics, declaring the Minority would not be harassed into silence or bend the knee
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Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has told the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to go after drug kingpins instead of persecuting political opponents.
Source: Facebook
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His comments came after Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah was arrested by the anti-graft agency over allegations linked to SIC Savings and Loans.
Baffour Awuah voluntarily reported to EOCO's head office on Thursday, October 1, 2026, and was subsequently arrested.
The agency is investigating allegations including criminal conspiracy, financial loss to SIC Savings and Loans, money laundering and tax-related offences.
A day before his surrender, the High Court granted EOCO a warrant to arrest him.
On September 23, EOCO officers attempted to arrest Baffour Awuah at the Accra High Court after he argued a bail application for detained nurse Salomey Awiti Bafoh.
Afenyo-Markin tells EOCO to pursue drug kingpins
The Minority Leader shared his views in a Facebook statement on the night of Thursday, October 1, 2026.
He questioned why security agencies were not showing similar zeal in pursuing the financiers behind major drug busts.
Citing a JoyNews Research tally, he noted that Ghana had recorded 11 illicit drug cases in 28 drug busts since March 2025, with seizures valued at up to $1.7 billion.
He also referenced the interception of 3.3 tonnes of illicit drug in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction and large shipments linked to Ghana seized in Amsterdam, Dunkirk and Australia.
Afenyo-Markin wrote:
"Ghanaians want to know: who are the financiers, organisers and beneficiaries? Where is the comparable zeal of our security agencies in pursuing them?"
Illegal mining also came under his criticism, with the Effutu MP saying accountability for galamsey remained elusive.
Afenyo-Markin says NDC will not silence Minority
Turning to Baffour Awuah's arrest, Afenyo-Markin disputed claims that the MP had deliberately avoided EOCO.
He said the lawmaker had referred the agency's February invitations to the Clerk of Parliament and was kept waiting for hours before questioning began.
Part of the statement read:
"This NDC culture of using the coercive powers of the state to punish suspects should have been left behind with the other excesses of the PNDC era."
His demands included an end to the misuse of arrest and prosecution to intimidate political opponents or suppress free expression.
Addressing the NDC, he wrote:
"You will not harass us into silence. The Minority will continue holding this government to account. We will not bend the knee."
The Facebook post of Alexander Afenyo-Markin, in which he urges EOCO to pursue drug kingpins instead of political opponents, is below.
Atta Akyea questions EOCO's case against MP
According to an earlier report by YEN.com.gh, Baffour Awuah's lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, questioned the basis of EOCO's case against the MP.
He argued that SIC had signed terms of settlement it considered fair, asking where the loss to the state was.
The former Abuakwa South MP also said his client had cooperated fully and should have been allowed to go home and return the next day.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
