I told EOCO to arrest Manhyia South MP – Mustapha Gbande

NDC Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Gbande has admitted that he instructed the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to arrest Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.

According to him, the instruction was not related to Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah’s role as lawyer for senior nursing officer Salomey Awiti-Baffoe, as has been suggested.

“I told him to arrest him. I wouldn’t lie about it,” Mustapha Gbande said on JoyNews earlier.

He explained that the instruction followed concerns about the conduct of the Manhyia South MP, while rejecting claims that the NDC was targeting him because he was representing Salomey Awiti-Baffoe.

He further warned that allowing individuals to openly defy law enforcement agencies could undermine the authority of state institutions.

Speaking in an interview on JoyNews Pulse, he explained that he made the statement from a security perspective, arguing that no individual should defy an invitation from a law enforcement agency and challenge the agency to arrest them.

“I met the EOCO boss; I told him to arrest the guy. Let the whole world come to an end. Arrest him,” he said.

Mr Gbande maintained that his position was that anyone invited by a law enforcement agency over an alleged offence should cooperate with the process, regardless of their political position.

He said it was unacceptable for a political office-holder to consider themselves above Ghana’s laws simply because of their position. “Never should I sit anywhere and say that because I am a deputy general secretary of a party, I am bigger than the laws of Ghana,” he said.

Mr Gbande argued that Mr Baffour Awuah should have honoured the invitation, made the necessary statement and left, rather than organise a press conference over the matter.

Mustapha Gbande also disputed suggestions that an enforcement agency was required to publicly announce an intended arrest before taking action.

“There’s no law that says that when a law enforcement agency is doing its work, it should come to media houses and tell them that I’m going to arrest somebody,” he said.

He insisted that if Baffour Awuah had committed an offence, the appropriate law enforcement authorities had the right to investigate and take the necessary action.

Background to Baffour Awuah’s arrest

The controversy involving Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah began on September 23, 2026, when EOCO officials attempted to take him into custody at the Accra High Court.

EOCO said the attempted arrest formed part of an ongoing investigation and followed two invitations issued to the MP in February 2026, which it said he had not honoured. The agency said the operation was eventually abandoned because officers assessed that continuing could endanger public safety.

Baffour Awuah disputed EOCO’s account. He said the officer who approached him at the High Court did not initially provide identification, proof of authority or an arrest warrant. He also said he offered to drive himself to EOCO but became suspicious when the officer insisted he use their vehicle.

The matter escalated when the High Court on September 30 authorised EOCO to arrest Baffour Awuah, as well as search for and seize documents relevant to its investigation. The court directed that the warrant be executed through the Speaker of Parliament.

EOCO told the court that its investigation concerns alleged unauthorised financial transactions involving SIC Life Savings and Loans, including suspected financial loss, dissipation of public funds and money laundering. Baffour Awuah has disputed aspects of EOCO’s account and explained that his former law firm had represented SIC Life Savings and Loans in recovering funds invested with another financial institution.

Following the warrant, Baffour Awuah reported himself to EOCO on October 1, accompanied by his lawyers and some MPs.

He was subsequently charged with three offences and granted GH¢10 million bail with two sureties after pleading not guilty. The case is scheduled to continue on October 26.