EOCO arrests Manhyia South MP Baffour Awuah in SIC Life probe as Minority demands his release

Pinned summary · as of 07:15

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has placed Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the MP for Manhyia South, under arrest after he turned up at its offices on Thursday, 1 October, following an Accra High Court warrant. The agency is investigating matters linked to SIC Life Savings and Loans. The Minority in Parliament has called for his immediate release, while EOCO says its work is independent and due process is being followed.

What we know

• Mr Baffour Awuah, who is also a lawyer, went to EOCO's premises of his own accord on 1 October, accompanied by his legal team and fellow MPs, and was arrested there.
• The arrest came after the Accra High Court issued a warrant for him, in connection with an EOCO inquiry into transactions involving SIC Life Savings and Loans.
• EOCO told the court it had used every reasonable means to secure his voluntary attendance before asking for the warrant.
• EOCO says its inquiry covers alleged conspiracy, loss to SIC Savings and Loans, laundering of money and tax offences, among other matters. It has asked the public to hold back from judging anyone's guilt until the investigation and any court process are done.
• Mr Baffour Awuah and Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin have said the MP passed EOCO's invitations on to the Clerk of Parliament.
• Minority figures questioned EOCO's claim that all avenues had been tried before the warrant was sought: Mr Afenyo-Markin raised the point on Facebook, and Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh raised it on Joy FM.
• Mr Afenyo-Markin demanded the MP's immediate release and said the Minority does not wish to interfere with the SIC Life Savings and Loans investigation, adding that EOCO, like everyone else, is subject to the law.
• Mr Afenyo-Markin accused EOCO of using its powers to intimidate opposition figures and of showing less urgency about drug-trafficking networks, and urged it to go after their financiers and organisers.
• Reports from The Vaultz News and the Ghanaian Times describe an earlier attempt to take the MP into custody at the Accra High Court.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Citi Newsroom reported that EOCO granted Mr Baffour Awuah bail of GH₵50 million with three sureties, whereas MyJoyOnline's accounts described him as still in EOCO custody; the reports do not agree on his status.
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  Citi Newsroom reported that the MP denied receiving GH₵2.2 million alleged to have been paid as legal fees, and contested parts of what EOCO has said about its earlier efforts to get him to attend. This has not been reported elsewhere.
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  The Ghanaian Times reported that EOCO described the MP's appearance as the outcome of months of effort to bring him before investigators. The Custodian reported that EOCO said it twice invited him in February 2026 and he did not honour either invitation.
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  The Ghanaian Times reported that Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice Dr Justice Srem-Sai said in a Facebook post that the MP is under investigation over suspected unauthorised dealings at SIC Life Savings and Loans, covering possible financial loss, waste of public funds and money laundering. The paper also reported that the court order was issued on 30 September.
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  The Custodian reported that Mr Baffour Awuah had earlier resisted the arrest, describing it as unlawful and as an attempted kidnap, and afterwards took refuge at Parliament. Mr Annoh-Dompreh, on MyJoyOnline, rejected the suggestion that the MP had sheltered there after an earlier attempt, saying the two situations were different.
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  Mr Annoh-Dompreh alleged on Joy FM that the moves against the MP could be politically motivated because the government is under pressure over its performance, and called what happened at the court premises a clear illegality. These claims were reported only by MyJoyOnline.
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  The MP's lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, criticised the continued detention of his client and the way he was being treated, as reported by MyJoyOnline. The paper also reported that he indicated investigators would carry on questioning on Friday, 2 October.
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  The Vaultz News reported that Mr Afenyo-Markin cited a research tally covering March 2025 to 22 September 2026, which counted 28 drug seizures tied to Ghana, 11 of them cocaine, with the cocaine valued at US$1.3 billion to US$1.7 billion. These figures come from that tally alone and have not been reported by others.

Why it matters for Ghana

The arrest of a sitting MP and the Minority's response put EOCO's handling of the SIC Life Savings and Loans inquiry under public scrutiny in Parliament and beyond. SIC Savings and Loans is a financial institution, and EOCO says the matters it is examining include financial loss. The competing claims from EOCO, the Minority and the MP's lawyer will be tested as the investigation and any court process move forward.