Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu has dismissed allegations by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that officials of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) attempted to kidnap the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
According to the Abura Asebu-Kwamankese MP, footage of the incident does not suggest that the EOCO official involved posed any threat to his parliamentary colleague.
Speaking on Joy News, Kwakye Ofosu said the conduct of the officer shown in the video was notably restrained, despite the claims surrounding the attempted arrest.
“I have heard claims that EOCO wanted to kidnap him. How was that going to happen? You saw the video. I saw the video. Indeed, at the beginning of the video, I can say that I have never seen a law enforcement officer show so much politeness and civility towards a subject that he wants to arrest,” he said.
He explained that the woman involved was a legitimate EOCO officer assigned to monitor the Manhyia South MP and determine the appropriate time to apprehend or invite him.
“The lady was essentially doing a mea culpa and begging the MP to come with her. She did not pose any threat whatsoever to the MP in question,” he noted.
Kwakye Ofosu further disclosed that EOCO had a tactical team on standby, which could have forcibly arrested the MP if circumstances required such action.
“They were officially instructed. Indeed, the lady I’m told is part of their surveillance team. So basically, they have to surveil the individual and see whether it is opportune to apprehend him or invite him,” he said.
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He, however, conceded that the operation could have been handled differently, particularly given the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
“You can say that they could have applied a bit more finesse and be a bit more strategic, and perhaps read the room there and seen that no, the environment is not conducive,” he noted.
According to him, the tactical officers ultimately refrained from using force after assessing the situation and determining that such an intervention could worsen the confrontation.
“They decided not to because they gauged the altercation had ensued and noticed that if they went to apply force or do anything, you could escalate the situation,” he said.
The government spokesperson also questioned the perception that security agencies must obtain approval from the President before taking action against individuals who hold political office.
“Do they need to seek the president’s permission to arrest everybody?”
He argued that being a Member of Parliament should not automatically shield an individual from legitimate law enforcement procedures, particularly when the MP was not engaged in parliamentary business at the time.
“Why do we create an impression? An MP is beyond reproach, and that because he is an MP, and indeed he was not attending to parliamentary duties that day, he was practising personally as a lawyer that day,” he said.
Kwakye Ofosu therefore maintained that MPs should not rely on their parliamentary status to obstruct lawful action by security agencies.
“This attempt that MPs make to use MPship as a reason why law enforcement cannot get them must stop,” he added.
@joynewsontv Attempted arrest of Manhyia South MP: How can EOCO be accused of wanting to kidnap Baffour Awuah? I have never seen a law enforcement officer show so much politeness and civility towards a suspect they want to arrest. - Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister of State in charge of Government Communication, MP for Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese Catch the full interview on #PMExpress at 9:00 PM #JoyNews
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