Abu Jinapor urges lawful arrests and civility as Minority presses on evacuation spending

Pinned summary · as of 06:54

Samuel Abu Jinapor, the MP for Damongo and the Minority's lead on the Foreign Affairs Committee, has made a series of public interventions on how far the state may go against critics and opposition figures. He wants political debate freed from abuse, but insists that outspoken speech should not by default lead to criminal action. He also defended the Minority's request for a full account of what was spent bringing Ghanaians home from South Africa.

What we know

• Mr Jinapor argued that free expression must be protected whichever party is in power, and that arrests should follow lawful procedure rather than political friction. He drew a line between offensive speech and a genuine criminal offence.
• The Damongo MP voiced concern about arrests and other actions aimed at opposition figures and social media users, and said this could erode confidence in democratic institutions and chill free expression.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Vaultz News reported that Mr Jinapor called for an end to insult-driven politics and warned that a government tolerating arbitrary treatment of citizens could set precedents that later catch its own people. It also said he recalled that Ghana scrapped criminal libel through Act 602 in 2001, so defamation belongs in civil courts. Only this report carries these remarks.
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  The Vaultz News said the Foreign Affairs Ministry disclosed spending of about GH₵49.72 million on evacuating 1,964 Ghanaians from South Africa between May 27 and September 4, 2026, with GH₵33.72 million coming from government and GH₵16 million from Engineers and Planners. No other report carries these figures.
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  The Vaultz News quoted Mr Jinapor as saying the Minority only wants an itemised breakdown of the evacuation costs. It reported that the ministry has since sent in a document running past 200 pages, which the Minority will study before taking a position. Mr Jinapor also found it curious that the minister overseeing foreign affairs heads Operation Recover All Loot. The same report added that the ministry asked for a special audit of evacuation exercises from 2017 to date.
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  The Ghana Report said Mr Jinapor blamed the government and security agencies for undermining the rule of law after officials tried to detain the MP for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, outside the Accra High Court on 23 September. He said the Constitution spells out protections for MPs and praised the lawmaker for asking the officials to identify themselves and state their authority. This account comes from one report.
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  The Ghana Report also stated that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) acknowledged that its personnel had sought to detain the lawmaker so that he would appear in connection with a continuing probe. Mr Jinapor's description of that move as damaging to the rule of law has not been echoed elsewhere.
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  Mr Jinapor said the NPP does not oppose investigations or accountability, and said the party is ready to face scrutiny so long as the process is lawful. He also urged the government to focus on the cost of living and youth unemployment and tied his concerns to controversy over cocaine-related investigations, according to the Ghana Report alone.

Why it matters for Ghana

How security agencies treat critics, MPs and social media users shapes how freely Ghanaians can speak about those in power, and where the line between rude speech and crime falls. The argument over evacuation costs is a test of how openly government accounts for public money spent on citizens in danger abroad. For voters in Damongo and beyond, both threads bear on whether investigations are seen as fair or as politically driven.