A former Director of the Ghana School of Law, Kwaku Ansa-Asare, has said the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) official who attempted to arrest Manhyia South MP, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, should have been arrested for contempt of court.
“What happened yesterday isn’t good. We need to condemn it. Firstly, the woman from EOCO who wanted to enforce EOCO’s laws should have been arrested yesterday for contempt of court. She needs to be reprimanded. She has disgraced EOCO and Ghana,” he said.
Speaking on Onua TV’s morning show, Maakye, with JB, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, Lawyer Ansa-Asare explained that the officer breached standard procedure when she refused to show her identification upon request.
He noted that the law is clear that where a suspect is not caught in the act of committing a crime, due process must be followed.
He further explained that the MP is protected under Act 300, which stipulates how a Member of Parliament should be invited when accused of wrongdoing, stressing that the MP being a lawyer himself makes the manner of arrest more questionable.
According to Ansa-Asare, the fact that the MP had just exited the courtroom should have guided the EOCO official to act with more respect for the court, adding that her conduct amounts to an abuse of the law and disrespect to the judiciary which should be punished.
The comments come on the back of a dramatic confrontation at the Accra High Court on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 between an EOCO official and a Member of Parliament who is also a lawyer.
EOCO officials attempted to arrest the MP shortly after he appeared as counsel social commentator Salomey Awiti Baffoe, who is facing charges linked to the ‘Ghana Jollof’ TikTok account.
A video circulating on social media showed a woman identifying herself as an EOCO official approaching the MP and asking him to accompany her to the EOCO office. The MP, however, questioned her authority and demanded to see her ID, which he claims she failed to produce.
The MP subsequently drove off to Parliament to seek sanctuary, describing the incident as “state-sponsored kidnapping.”
EOCO, in a statement later that day, said the attempted arrest was part of lawful steps to secure his attendance for an ongoing investigation after he failed to honour two invitations extended to him in February 2026.
The Office said the arrest was not completed after officers assessed that further action could endanger public safety, and added that it had identified two persons who allegedly facilitated the MP’s escape.
‘I’ve never come across a woman that strong before’ – Manhyia South MP on EOCO’s botched arrest
