'She is not party operative' – Kwakye Ofosu defends EOCO officer

Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu says the EOCO officer who approached Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah outside the High Court was a genuine law enforcement officer and not a political operative.

Kwakye Ofosu said the officer was part of EOCO’s surveillance team and had been instructed to monitor Baffour Awuah before determining whether the appropriate step was to invite or apprehend him.

“The lady, I am told, is part of their surveillance team,” he said on Joy News.

“So basically, they have to surveil the individual and see whether it is opportune to apprehend him or invite him.”

He stressed that the officer’s identity as a law enforcement official should not be in doubt, although he acknowledged that questions could be asked about why she did not openly identify herself.

“The lady is a law enforcement officer without question,” he said. “Maybe you can question why she did not identify herself openly. But it is not in debate that she is a law enforcement officer.”

Kwakye Ofosu also rejected any suggestion that the woman could have been a party operative acting against the MP.

“Certainly not a party operative. She is a law enforcement officer,” he said.

He further said the officer had been with the service for about 17 years, arguing that she was not a newly recruited official who had just been brought into the operation.

“I understand she has been there for about 17 years. So she is not a recently minted official,” he said.

EOCO has confirmed that its officers attempted to arrest Baffour Awuah at the court premises on September 23, saying the action was connected to an ongoing investigation. The agency said the attempted arrest was discontinued after officers assessed that further action could endanger public safety.