Chaos erupted at the forecourt of the Law Court Complex in Accra yesterday as persons claiming to be officials of Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) attempted to arrest Lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, moments after he exited the courtroom.
Mr. Awuah was in court seeking bail for Salomey Awiti Bafoh, a Techiman-based Senior Nursing Officer accused of allegedly aiding Barbara Asantewaa Kodua (Ghana Jollof) to circulate false news on social media.
The case was adjourned to today after an Assistant State Attorney from the Office of the Attorney General told the court that the application has not been officially assigned to any state attorney, and prayed the court to adjourn the matter.
Just moments after Mr. Awuah was done granting interview to the media, he was approached by a lady in blue jeans and a black and green T-shirt who insisted on the MP joining a waiting Nissan Navara pickup to the EOCO office.
She told the MP that EOCO had written to his office inviting him, but he failed to honour the invitation.
The MP categorically stated that he has not received any such invitation from EOCO but was willing to avail himself at EOCO, albeit insisting that “I will come with my car.”
Mr. Awuah then walked to his car which was parked near the Law Court Complex exit but was accosted by the persistent lady, who blocked him from entering the vehicle.
Sensing that the said official was bent on securing his attendance, the MP questioned the veracity of her claim that she was from EOCO, by repeatedly asking: “What shows you are from EOCO? You are blocking me from entering my car, what shows you are from EOCO?”
The chaos exacerbated when Mr. Awuah’s colleagues and some sympathisers stepped in to ensure the MP had access to the vehicle by coming between him and the lady.
He managed to sneak into the car and drove away, heading towards the Parliament House.
The lady, whose Nissan Navara pickup was waiting close by, then jumped into the car and the driver drove off in chase of the MP.
Mr. Awuah has suggested that he was being arrested by EOCO because he is defending a “poor woman,” referring to the mother of three who has been in custody since September 12, after she was reportedly arrested by National Security operatives in the middle of the night.
The EOCO official put herself in harm’s way by attempting to open the passenger side of the front door of the moving car, raising further questions about her approach to the entire debacle.
EOCO Reacts
EOCO, in a statement issued in the aftermath of the chaos, said its officers were affecting the arrest of the MP following his refusal to honour an invitation extended to him in February 2026 in respect of an ongoing investigation.
“The Office had previously invited Hon. Baffour Awuah to assist with the investigation on two occasions in February 2026. The invitations were not honoured. The Office has since taken steps to secure his attendance in accordance with the law and the attempted arrest today represents one of the lawful steps,” part of the statement read.
EOCO says it has identified two individuals who allegedly “actively intervened to facilitate the escape of the MP,” noting that these individuals are being assessed and the “Office will take such lawful steps as may be appropriate.”
Bail Application Adjourned
Meanwhile, an application filed on behalf of Salomey Awiti Bafoh, who is accused of serving as a liaison for ‘Ghana Jollof’ has been adjourned to today, September 24, 2026.
This is to allow the Office of the Attorney General to file any processes in response to the application if it intends to do so.
Her lawyer, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, had attempted to move the motion yesterday when Karl Afedzie Forson, who announced himself as an Assistant State Attorney from the Office of the Attorney General, informed the court that he is not the substantive attorney and that the motion has not been officially assigned to any particular attorney at the Office.
“In the circumstance, we pray for a short adjournment so that we can respond formally to this application,” he said.
Mr. Awuah, who was disappointed in the development, said this is not civil procedure where service is required to be effected on the Office of the Attorney General within three clear days before the hearing of the application.
He said the issue “involves the liberty of the accused person,” adding that a further delay will only mean that this application will become moot “because by the time the affidavit in opposition is served, the applicant would have served the two weeks in remand.”
The court, presided over by Justice Halima El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, was also not happy with the state attorney’s explanation, noting that “the liberty of an individual is at stake, so your institution cannot hold everyone to ransom.”
She adjourned the case to today, giving the Office of the Attorney General up to 9 a.m. to file any processes they intend to.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak