‘It’s not a matter of evidence; it was a metaphor’ – Afenyo-Markin defends ‘drug lab’ comment

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has defended his description of Ghana as a potential “hub” for cocaine-related activities, insisting that the comment was metaphorical and intended to provide context to concerns raised by government officials.

According to him, the statement should not be interpreted as a claim requiring him to provide evidence of Ghana being a cocaine hub.

Speaking in an interview on Adom TV’s Badwam, Mr Afenyo-Markin said the comment was based on concerns over cocaine allegedly passing through Ghana’s borders and statements attributed to government officials about possible official involvement.

“It is not a matter of evidence. The statement was what I will call metaphorical; it was a metaphor,” he said.

He explained that repeated incidents involving cocaine allegedly passing through Ghana, coupled with arrests, raised questions about the effectiveness of the country’s border controls.

“If you are allowing your corridors to be flooded with cocaine and every now and then there are arrests, cocaine passes through your borders without any proper checks, when your own Cabinet Minister comes to say that, one, there are government officials involved, and two, the foreign partners don’t trust Ghana because they feel that our system is compromised,” he added.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said such circumstances, in his view, create an environment that could facilitate the cocaine trade.

“What you are telling us is that you have created a lap for a cocaine business to drive,” he noted.

He further explained that describing Ghana as a “hub” was meant to illustrate how the country could become a transshipment point if cocaine was brought into the country and moved onward to other destinations.

“So the language used was a metaphor and basically situating what we find out ourselves in a certain context. If you allow your corridors to be used and it gets out of control, obviously you are creating a hub for that business to be processed,” he added.

The Minority Leader maintained that his comments were not an isolated allegation but a reiteration of concerns previously raised by the Interior Minister.

“So what the Minority said, they were only reechoing what the Minister of Interior has said.”

Also read:

• NPP alleges drug laboratories operating in Ghana under Mahama’s watch

• NPP alleges drug laboratories operating in Ghana under Mahama’s watch