TEMA, Ghana, 24th September: Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has questioned the conduct of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, following his encounter with an officer of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) at the Accra High Court.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, when the Manhyia South MP appeared at the court as counsel for his client, Salomey Baffoe Awiti, a nurse from Techiman, whose bail application was adjourned.
Speaking on Ahotor FM’s Adekyee Mu Nsem programme on Thursday, September 24, Mr Koomson questioned why the MP did not follow up with EOCO after the officer allegedly attempted to arrest him at the court.
According to him, the MP had indicated that EOCO had previously written to his law chamber twice, although the letters were not addressed to him personally.
Mr Koomson argued that, as a lawyer and a Member of Parliament committed to the development of the country, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah could have instructed lawyers from his chamber to visit EOCO to establish why the institution wanted to engage him.
He said such a step could have helped prevent the incident at the court from escalating.
“The late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah will be sad in his grave over the law school he introduced in Ghana because the behaviour of some lawyers, like how the Manhyia South MP behaved, is worrying,” he said.
Mr Koomson further questioned why the MP, if he believed he had committed no wrongdoing, did not voluntarily go to the EOCO office to find out why the institution wanted him.
“If you haven’t committed any crime, why do you fear arrest? Yes, the officer didn’t show any ID card, but the fact that EOCO was mentioned, you could have driven to the office to find out what you have done. If he is a good citizen, why did he run to Parliament for a hideout to go and seek refuge there?” he asked.
Abraham Koomson criticises conduct of some lawyers
The GFL Secretary General also expressed concern about what he described as the conduct of some lawyers and citizens, arguing that certain actions witnessed in Ghana’s democratic space would not be tolerated in some other jurisdictions.
“The way some lawyers and some people are behaving in the country shows we were not mature as a country to be allowed to practise democracy because democracy is being abused, and the lawyers and some people can’t do some of the things being done here in China, USA or other countries, for example, insulting the President and his family,” he said.
However, Mr Koomson also criticised the conduct of the EOCO officer involved in the incident.
He said the officer erred by allegedly failing to properly identify herself before attempting to arrest a lawyer at the court.
“The EOCO officer erred by failing to provide any identification card in trying to arrest a lawyer of that calibre from court, and the fact that the officer couldn’t introduce herself well was also a problem,” he said.
‘He could have followed up at EOCO’
Despite his criticism of the officer, Mr Koomson maintained that the MP could have followed up with EOCO to establish why officers wanted to arrest him, particularly if he was certain that he had done nothing wrong.
“But if the lawyer knew he hadn’t done anything wrong and EOCO was mentioned, you could have driven to the office of EOCO to follow up and know why an officer wanted to arrest you,” he said.
Mr Koomson further suggested that the MP may have relied on the constitutional protections afforded to Members of Parliament regarding arrest while travelling to or from Parliament.
He alleged that the MP went directly to Parliament after the incident because of the protection afforded to MPs.
He said the better course of action would have been for the MP to engage EOCO directly and resolve whatever concerns the institution had.
“Even though the lady officer didn’t do well by failing to introduce herself properly, as an MP and lawyer who wants the betterment of the country, you could have followed up to EOCO for them to clear your name or make you answer the questions they have for you, and it shouldn’t have ended up in chaos,” he said.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh(#RomeoWrites✍️)/ Presidential Affairs Correspondent | Ghana 🇬🇭
