The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has launched a scathing attack on the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), accusing the investigative body of persecuting political opponents while showing a lack of zeal in apprehending drug kingpins and illegal mining barons.
Addressing the media in Accra, Mr Afenyo-Markin condemned the recent handling of the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Hon. Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, by EOCO officials, describing the actions of the anti-graft agency as a calculated attempt to intimidate critical opposition voices.
His reaction follows incident surrounding the lawmaker, who was reportedly confronted by an EOCO official without a warrant on 23 September after arguing a bail application in court for a client. Hon. Baffour Awuah subsequently reported voluntarily to the EOCO headquarters alongside his legal counsel and parliamentary colleagues, only to be detained and kept waiting for hours before interrogation commenced.
“The public impression of the Government is increasingly one of a leadership that is shy of focusing on what matters but prioritises optics and, at the same time, is ultra-sensitive to criticism,” Afenyo-Markin stated, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the Manhyia South MP.
The Minority Leader argued that the state is aggressively deploying coercive powers against a lawyer-legislator while showing minimal results in tackling large-scale international narcotics networks using Ghana as a transit point. Citing recent intelligence reports, he highlighted massive cocaine and methamphetamine seizures tied to Ghanaian shipments in Amsterdam, Dunkirk, and Australia, as well as local interceptions involving tonnes of illicit drugs.
“Ghanaians want to know: who are the financiers, organisers and beneficiaries? Where is the comparable zeal of our security agencies in pursuing them?” he asked, calling on EOCO and the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) to direct their statutory powers towards tracing criminal proceeds and arresting narcotics financiers rather than targeting lawmakers.
Turning his attention to the environmental crisis caused by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, the Effutu MP alleged that the administration remains reluctant to crack down on high-profile figures behind the trade. He questioned the outcome of previous directives to investigate government-aligned officials linked to galamsey activities, pointing out that major water bodies across the country remain heavily polluted.
“What we are witnessing is the golden age of impunity, epitomised by the surge in both galamsey and drug trafficking,” Afenyo-Markin declared, insisting that state agencies must exercise their investigative authority fairly and without political bias.
Reaffirming the resolve of the parliamentary opposition, Afenyo-Markin warned that no amount of state-sponsored harassment would quieten the caucus or restore a culture of silence in the country.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
