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Claim: Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah told Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) officials that they needed to write to the Speaker of Parliament before arresting him.
Verdict: False! The Speaker has clarified that security agencies can carry out the arrest but must notify the Speaker’s office and provide details of the circumstances of the arrest or allegations involved. Parliament’s Standing Order 25 states that the notification must be made within six hours of an MP being restricted, detained, or arrested.
Full Text
A viral video on X captured the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, at the centre of an attempted arrest by an Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) official, sparking debate about the procedure for arresting a sitting lawmaker.
The incident occurred on Sept. 23, 2026, when Baffour Awuah represented his client, Salomey Awity Baffoe, in a case linked to an anonymous TikTok account called Ghana Jollof.
The EOCO official approached Baffour Awuah and asked him to accompany her to the EOCO office. As the conversation escalated, he asked her, “You want to arrest me?” He then repeatedly told the officer, “You should write to the Speaker.”
Baffour Awuah resisted the arrest and drove off in his car before later joining Minority members of Parliament at a press conference on the incident.
This has sparked conversations on social media about the proper procedures for arresting Members of Parliament.
DUBAWA investigated the claim to determine whether EOCO needed to inform the Speaker before arresting an MP.
Screenshot of comments on Baffuor Awuah’s arrest. Photo Credit: facebook.com/GHOneTV
Verification
DUBAWA examined the constitutional provisions governing the arrest of Members of Parliament, as well as the Speaker’s statement on the matter.
Article 117 of Chapter 10 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana grants Members of Parliament immunity from being served with process, arrested, or detained while attending Parliament or travelling to or from Parliament.
However, this provision does not grant blanket immunity from arrest or specifically require EOCO to write to the Speaker of Parliament before attempting to arrest an MP.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin addressed the matter during a parliamentary sitting on May 21, 2026. The Speaker said agencies must notify his office and provide information on the circumstances or allegations behind the action. He said security agencies do not need his permission to arrest or invite a sitting member of parliament suspected of wrongdoing. Notifying the Speaker is distinct from obtaining prior permission to make an arrest.
The Speaker’s address on May 21 aligns with Standing Order 25 of Ghana’s Parliament. The order states that where a Member of Parliament or the Clerk to Parliament is restricted, detained, or arrested, the person responsible for the restriction, detention, or arrest shall inform the Speaker within six hours.
This order requires notification to the Speaker after the restriction, detention, or arrest.
The evidence, therefore, does not support the claim that EOCO needed to notify the Speaker before attempting to arrest a member of parliament.
To establish the applicable procedure, DUBAWA spoke to constitutional lawyer Raymond Bidema, who explained that parliamentary immunity does not provide MPs with blanket protection from arrest.
He argued that Baffour Awuah appeared in court in his professional capacity as a lawyer representing a client, rather than while performing his parliamentary duties. He therefore maintained that the constitutional protection did not apply in the circumstances of the attempted arrest.
The lawyer also distinguished between seeking the Speaker’s permission and notifying the Speaker that an MP has been arrested. In his interpretation, notification informs the Speaker of an action already taken, while a request seeks approval for a proposed action.
“If you are writing to a Speaker, it’s more or less asking permission in order to effect the arrest. But giving him information after arrest is more or less telling him that so-and-so has three children and one of them has been arrested. And they are informing him that if you are looking for your child, that your child is in so-and-so police station,” he explained.
Lawyer Bidemah rejected the assertion that EOCO needed to write to the Speaker prior to attempting to arrest Baffour Awuah in the circumstances described.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s research shows that EOCO is not required to write to the Speaker before arresting any MP. Speaker Alban Bagbin has clarified that security agencies do not need his prior permission to arrest or invite an MP. Instead, they must notify his office of their intentions.
