EOCO ‘Rambo Style’ arrests threaten democracy – Afenyo-Markin
Minority Leader, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has accused the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) of employing “Rambo class” tactics in its investigations, warning that such actions pose a threat to the nation’s democracy and must not be tolerated.
He has therefore called on the Attorney General and Minister for Justice to appear before Parliament as a matter of urgency to brief the House on EOCO’s operations, particularly the arrest and continued detention of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Director of Communications aspirant, Dennis Miracles Aboagye.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament yesterday during the presentation of the Business Statement, the Minority Leader maintained that while the Minority fully supports accountability, law enforcement agencies must exercise their powers with respect for human rights and due process.
“We are not against accountability. We are against the Rambo class,” Osahen Afenyo-Markin declared.
He said Parliament has an oversight responsibility over public institutions and could not remain silent over what he described as excesses by EOCO.
“Mr. Speaker, there are things that are happening. If we don’t talk about them today, tomorrow the other side may be wearing the shoe,” he cautioned.
Calls for Attorney General
The Minority Leader urged the Majority Leader to programme the Attorney General to brief Parliament on EOCO’s activities.
According to him, Mr. Aboagye was arrested at the Accra International Airport upon his return to the country and has since remained in EOCO custody for more than three days.
He questioned the manner in which the arrest was carried out, arguing that Mr. Aboagye had previously honoured EOCO’s invitations and could have been invited again instead of being arrested.
“They will arrest people after the person has travelled. He comes back and then, in a Rambo class, he is arrested at the airport and detained for over three days,” he said.
Bail Conditions
Osahen Afenyo-Markin also criticised the bail conditions imposed on the NPP Communications Director, claiming that EOCO was demanding properties worth GH¢50 million before granting him bail.
He described the matter as a human rights issue rather than a partisan one, adding, “This is not something that should attract a partisan reaction. It is a human rights issue.”
The Minority Leader warned politicians across the political divide not to view the issue through partisan lenses.
“It can be somebody today. There is an election ahead. You can never tell. Don’t let us encourage some of these excesses,” he cautioned.
Threat to Democracy
Osahen Afenyo-Markin argued that EOCO’s approach was unhealthy for Ghana’s democratic development and called on Members of Parliament from both sides of the House to condemn what he described as abuse of investigative powers.
“What is happening to Miracles Aboagye is not good for our democracy. It is not good for the politics of our country,” he stated.
He further alleged that some NPP MPs had previously been invited by EOCO and other state security agencies after speaking on sensitive national issues.
“Some of my colleagues here, sometimes when they speak on critical issues, they get invitations to EOCO, to Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) and all of that. We have kept quiet about it. Now it has gotten to our party executives. We shouldn’t do this to ourselves,” he said.
While insisting that EOCO has every right to investigate suspected wrongdoing, the Minority Leader said the agency must perform its duties “with a human face.”
Osahen Afenyo-Markin added that Mr. Aboagye had recently suffered losses following flooding at his residence and was already traumatised before his arrest.
“He has a wife and children. Already the man was affected by the flood. He lost everything. He is already traumatised. Then, to worsen it, you detain him for three days,” he said.
Majority Responds
Responding to the Minority Leader’s claims, the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, defended EOCO’s actions, arguing that the arrest followed extensive investigations and should not be politicised.
He cited EOCO’s official statement issued on July 13, which said Mr. Aboagye, a former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD), was arrested in connection with ongoing investigations into alleged financial and procurement-related irregularities at the Secretariat.
According to him, the investigations followed a petition from the current Executive Secretary requesting further investigations into a forensic audit covering the period between August 1, 2022 and February 2, 2025.
Mr. Dafeamekpor said EOCO’s investigations had resulted in allegations including conspiracy to steal, stealing, using public office for profit, causing financial loss to the state, dissipation of public funds, defrauding by false pretences and money laundering.
He argued that the Minority Leader had no basis to question the agency’s decision after what he described as a year-long investigation.
“The Minority Leader has no right under the sun to suggest that where an investigative body has conducted a year-long investigation, invited the suspect and made a prima facie determination leading to an arrest that may result in prosecution, the Attorney General should be summoned to explain why accountability is being demanded,” he said.
The Majority Chief Whip also rejected claims that EOCO had demanded GH¢55 million in cash before granting bail.
He explained that the agency had merely required sureties with assets equivalent to the value of the subject matter under investigation, stressing that such conditions could be challenged in court if considered excessive.