The Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has alleged that operatives of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) attempted to abduct him outside a court premises after he appeared in a case involving the alleged wrongful arrest of Salomey Awittey Baffoe, a nurse whom police reportedly mistook for the controversial TikToker known as “Ghana Jollof” in Techiman.
According to the MP, the incident occurred shortly after court proceedings and his interaction with journalists. He said he had attended court to support what he described as the nurse’s fundamental human rights.
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Mr. Awuah recounted that after speaking to the media, a woman approached him and instructed him to accompany her to EOCO.
Mr. Awuah claimed the woman informed him that EOCO required his presence. However, he questioned why no formal invitation had been issued. He further alleged that the woman insisted he had previously been invited but had failed to honour the invitation, an assertion he described as false.
According to him, he offered to travel to EOCO in his own vehicle.
“I said I would sit in my car and follow you to EOCO. But she said she would forcibly take me to their vehicle and drive me to EOCO,” he stated.
The legislator further alleged that when he requested identification, the woman failed to prove she was an EOCO officer. He also claimed she could not produce an arrest warrant.
Mr. Awuah said the absence of identification and legal documentation heightened his suspicions and led him to believe the encounter was an attempted abduction.
“It became obvious to me that it was one of the recent kidnappings that have been going on and which are being orchestrated by the State,” he alleged.
He said he subsequently left the scene and proceeded to Parliament, where he was scheduled to attend committee meetings and other official engagements.
“I needed to protect and defend myself for the benefit of the people of Manhyia South whom I serve, the Minority Caucus, my children and my entire family,” he said.
The MP maintained that the attempt to compel him into another vehicle amounted to an attempted kidnapping.
Commenting on the matter, Minority Leader and Effutu MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin outlined what he described as the standard procedure security agencies should follow when seeking to interrogate a Member of Parliament.
According to him, a security agency is expected to write to the Speaker of Parliament requesting the release of an MP for questioning. The Speaker then refers the matter to the leadership of the House and the Legal Directorate, after which arrangements are made for the MP to make himself available.
“There is nothing like preferential treatment, but because of the nature of an MP’s work, that procedure has been established for all state agencies to observe,” he said.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further argued that attempts to arrest MPs on court premises should concern the Chief Justice, warning that such actions could negatively affect public confidence in the judiciary.
“What happened today amounts to an abuse of power — weaponising a state institution to intimidate and undermine a citizen who is both a lawyer and a Member of Parliament,” he said.
The Effutu lawmaker added that if EOCO genuinely intended to invite the MP, it could have adopted a more humane and professional approach rather than creating a public scene.
He also called on President John Dramani Mahama to address what he described as excesses within his administration and ensure that public officials act within the law.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin further alleged that EOCO had developed a reputation for exceeding its mandate and insisted that the institution must be held accountable.
In attendance at the press conference to support Hon. Awuah were several New Patriotic Party (NPP) figures, including Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Bimbilla MP and former Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, Okaikwei Central MP Patrick Yaw Boamah, Wenchi MP and former Local Government, Minister Isaac Adjei Mensah Korsah, Akim Swedru MP, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Effia MP Isaac Yaw Boamah-Nyarko, former Manhyia North MP Collins Owusu Amankwah, and other party officials.
