Manhyia South MP Arrest: Akim Swedru MP Calls on Mahama to ‘Sit Up’
Akim Swedru MP questions the circumstances surrounding Baffour Awuah’s arrest at the High Court.
- Kennedy Osei Nyarko questions the manner of the arrest.
- Akim Swedru MP urges the President to pay closer attention.
- Baffour Awuah was arrested while attending court as a lawyer.
The Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru Kennedy Osei Nyarko has called on President John Dramani Mahama to pay closer attention to the conduct of security agencies following the arrest of his colleague, the MP for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
In a post on Facebook, the Akim Swedru MP expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the arrest, arguing that security officials could have formally invited the lawmaker rather than apprehending him at the High Court complex.
He wrote that “President Mahama must sit up because security agencies under his watch are gradually becoming rogues.”
According to him, the circumstances of the arrest raise questions about the manner in which security agencies deal with serving Members of Parliament.
“What’s happening in this country that a security officer will just ambush a member of parliament who happens to go to court to represent his client to arrest him?” he wrote.
The MP questioned why the lawmaker could not have been officially invited to assist with any investigation, given that his whereabouts could readily be established.
“Couldn’t they have just invited him officially since he can easily be found?” he asked.
He further argued that a sitting MP could be contacted through established official channels, including the Office of the Speaker of Parliament.
“A politician can easily be found or located as compared to an ordinary citizen without an proof of address so why this Rambo style of arrest of a sitting member of parliament when they could have just invited him officially or through the speaker’s office,” he stated.
The incident involves the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who was at the High Court complex in Accra in his capacity as counsel for an accused person in the case popularly referred to as the “Ghana Jollof” case.
The lawmaker has been explaining his account of what transpired between him and an official of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) at the foyer of the High Court complex on Wednesday.
