EOCO holds three over drones at its Accra headquarters as MP Baffour Awuah is questioned

Pinned summary · as of 21:27

Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) alleged that Security officers at the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra detained at least three people, among them a woman, on Thursday, 1 October, over drones said to have been flown above the building without permission. The incident coincided with the questioning of Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who had come to the agency's offices. Why the drones were flown has not been explained.

What we know

• EOCO arrested at least three people, including a woman, on Thursday, 1 October, after drones were allegedly flown over its Accra headquarters without authorisation. Reports have not said why the drones were flown, and no details on the identities of those held or on any charges have been given.
• Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah was inside the EOCO premises answering investigators' questions while the drone incident unfolded, and security around the facility was reported to be tight.
• Mr Baffour Awuah went to EOCO of his own accord on Thursday, accompanied by his lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea, to help with the agency's ongoing inquiries.
• An Accra High Court order dated Wednesday, 30 September, authorised EOCO to arrest the MP and to look for and take away papers that it regards as pertinent to the case. EOCO told the court it had used up reasonable means of securing his voluntary attendance and feared that documents might be hidden, changed or destroyed.
• The court order followed an earlier attempt by EOCO to arrest the MP at the Accra High Court.
• EOCO says its inquiry is about suspected improper financial dealings inside SIC Life Savings and Loans Company Limited, with suspected financial loss, misuse of public funds and money laundering among the issues being examined. None of this has been proven in court.
• Mr Baffour Awuah rejects EOCO's version that he ignored its invitations. He says the invitations sent in February went to Sarkodie Baffour Awuah & Partners, the law firm he used to belong to, and that a representative of the firm went to EOCO on 4 March, 18 March and 30 April and supplied the requested information, including a written statement.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Nkonkonsa reported that four suspects were held, and described the number of people arrested as three to four, whereas other reports speak of three.
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  Accounts of how long the drones were airborne differ. Rainbow Radio Online, JoyNews and Nkonkonsa referred to hours, while Citi Newsroom, citing its sources, and other reports spoke of several minutes before officers moved in.
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  Chale News reported that an earlier attempt to arrest the MP in February 2026 failed and that questions about parliamentary immunity stalled the process. Citi Newsroom and The Ghana Report instead place the attempted arrest at the Accra High Court on 23 September, and Nkonkonsa describes a public standoff there a week before Thursday.
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  Citi Newsroom said EOCO's position is that two February 2026 invitations to Mr Baffour Awuah went unanswered, while Nkonkonsa reported that he allegedly skipped earlier invitations in an inquiry involving financial loss and money laundering. Chale News reported the probe stems from his past legal work for SIC Life Insurance Limited, and that the Deputy Attorney-General had earlier accused him of dodging the investigation.
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  Onua Online, citing 3News sources, reported that Mr Baffour Awuah left the EOCO premises with investigators, who were said to be heading to his residence and office to carry out a search warrant. This has not been confirmed by other reports.
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  Chale News reported that lawyer Andrew Appiah-Danquah, the United Party's Director of Legal Affairs, told Channel One TV that Article 117 of the Constitution gives MPs no blanket protection from arrest. He added that the way the earlier attempt was handled could have been better.

Why it matters for Ghana

An investigation by a state agency into a sitting MP, with a court-approved arrest warrant and permission to seize documents, raises questions about how Parliament's privileges sit alongside criminal inquiries. The reported drone incident at EOCO's headquarters also draws attention to security at the offices of agencies that handle sensitive financial cases. The probe concerns alleged losses at a financial institution, which is of interest to customers and to taxpayers following the handling of public money.