"EOCO Is Acting Like Children Playing Chaskele" - Afenyo-Markin Slams Arrest Of Manhyia South MP

Minority Leader Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin has strongly criticised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over its handling of the arrest of the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, describing the agency's actions as childish.

Speaking during an engagement with the Christian Council of Ghana, the Effutu MP condemned the drama that unfolded at the court premises and the manner in which EOCO effected the arrest.

"Look at the scene that was created at the court premises, EOCO officials going to arrest him and it led to all this brouhaha," Afenyo-Markin said.

He accused EOCO of abusing the ex-parte process to arrest the MP, describing it as an application that should be used sparingly.

"EOCO using the back door to file an ex-parte application as a lawyer. I see an ex-parte application as an application that is sparingly used and you don't just go ex-parte like hiding behind to grab somebody from behind. You don't do that, yet EOCO did it," he stated.

According to the Minority Leader, after the MP voluntarily attended upon EOCO, officials kept him waiting from morning until 4 p.m. before informing him he had been arrested.

"When the man attended upon them, they wasted his time the whole morning up to 4PM and said... we have arrested you, now the 48-hour count, as if we are children playing chaskele. This is governance. EOCO is a creature of law," he added.[starts]

Afenyo-Markin further said EOCO, after facing public backlash, rushed the MP to court on Saturday after denying him his freedom, only for the court to grant him bail.