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Claim: A Facebook post claimed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) detained Samuel Awuku, the Akuapem North’s parliamentary representative, over alleged corruption and financial irregularities.
Verdict: False. There is no evidence that the EOCO detained Samuel Awuku as claimed. Awuku denied the report, while a video showing him in Kumasi on Aug. 16, 2026, contradicted the claim that he was in EOCO custody.
Full Text
A Facebook post (archived here) has claimed that the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) detained Samuel Awuku, Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, over alleged corruption and financial irregularities during his period as the National Lottery Authority (NLA)’s former director-general.
The post, published by a Facebook page called AKUAPEM TV Ghana on August 16, 2026, carried the caption, “Breaking: Former NLA boss & Akuapem North MP Sammi Awuku detained by EOCO over alleged corruption and financial irregularities. Investigations ongoing. Details emerging.”
As of Aug. 20, 2026, the post attracted 646 likes, 328 comments, and 64 reshares.
The claim was found on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here. DUBAWA also found the claim on other social media platforms like Instagram, X, and TikTok here, here, and here.
The claim generated mixed reactions, with some social media users accepting it as true while others questioned its authenticity.
A Facebook user, Florence Anancy, commented, “A thief in wig… A thief on a wig part one, two, and three… kwasiakwa.”
Another user, Otu Assemblyman, wrote, “If EOCO call am no ya wa.. EOCO is a Ghanaian institution, and it must work well.”
Other users, however, challenged the claim. Christy Christo wrote, “AKUAPEM TV is always quick to post without proper verification”, calling them out for their lack of due diligence.
@Stephen Marfo said, “Awuku had been seen at Asamankese,” while @Frank Tetteh wrote, “He and Appiah Stadium were talking today oh! Ghanaians, let’s put genuine news on platforms, please.”
DUBAWA decided to verify the claim due to its virality and potential to mislead the public.
Verification
DUBAWA searched EOCO’s official communication channels for confirmation that Mr Awuku had been arrested or detained on allegations of corruption and financial irregularities. We found no official statement confirming his arrest or any reports from a credible media outlet.
The viral post itself also provided no evidence of an arrest, such as a statement from EOCO, a charge sheet, a court document, or any other official record.
We found a Facebook video (archived here) by Awal Mohammed, a member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) ‘s national communication team, on Aug. 16, 2026. Mr Awuku was seen in Kumasi with Appiah Stadium, a popular sympathiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In the video, Appiah Stadium asked Mr Awuku about his alleged arrest on Aug. 15, 2026, and he denied the claim.
Awuku explained that he had been in the Eastern Region on Saturday to participate in the New Patriotic Party’s regional elections and was in Kumasi on Sunday.
“Claims that I was arrested on Saturday are completely false. Yesterday we had our regional elections, and today, Sunday, I am here with you in Kumasi,” he said.
The video, therefore, places Awuku outside EOCO’s custody on the day following the alleged arrest. Appiah Stadium, who appeared with Awuku in the video, also cautioned against spreading unverified claims.
DUBAWA found another video of Mr Awuku addressing the claim on UTV’s “Adekye Nsroma” programme on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in which he described reports of his arrest as false.
Mr Awuku said he first became aware of the allegation on Sunday morning after waking up to several missed calls from people asking about reports that he had been arrested.
He explained that he was travelling by road to Kumasi at the time and later attended a wedding in the city. According to him, Appiah Stadium told him that someone had claimed he had been arrested, and he then contacted the person in Mr Awuku’s presence.
Appiah Stadium later recorded a video in Kumasi with Mr Awuku, following the encounter, to show that he was not in custody.
DUBAWA traced the claim to the Facebook page of BongoIdeas, the social media name of Albert Nat Hyde, a Ghanaian social media commentator, blogger, and digital creator.
BongoIdeas published a post (archived here) on Aug. 16 alleging that Mr Awuku had been detained by EOCO over alleged corruption and financial irregularities linked to his tenure at the NLA.
The post, featuring Mr Awuku’s picture alongside the EOCO logo, was captioned, “Unconfirmed report: The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has reportedly detained former Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Sammi Awuku, over alleged corruption and financial irregularities linked to his tenure at the Authority. This remains highly unconfirmed and speculative.”
As of Aug. 20, 2026, the post had gathered over 6,000 likes, more than 1,400 comments and 159 reposts.
After the video of Mr Awuku and Appiah Stadium circulated, BongoIdeas published another post that same day questioning whether it was current or old.
The post stated, “I have seen a video of Sammi Awuku denying reports that he was arrested by EOCO. However, reports indicate that his tenure at the National Lottery Authority (NLA) is under investigation, with claims that he has been quietly appearing before the investigative body.”
It added, “It is unclear whether the video making the rounds is new or an old video being recirculated.”
The post had attracted more than 2,800 likes, 759 comments and 20 reshares as of Aug. 20, 2026.
DUBAWA found no evidence in the material reviewed to substantiate the specific claim that Mr Awuku had been detained by EOCO.
Also, the use of phrases such as “unconfirmed reports” and “this remains highly unconfirmed and speculative” in BongoIdeas’ post raises questions about the validity of the claim.
While Mr Awuku acknowledged on the programme that former public officials can be required to account for their stewardship and said he would cooperate with legitimate investigations, this did not establish that he had been arrested or detained by EOCO.
Conclusion
The claim that Samuel Awuku was detained by EOCO on allegations of corruption and financial irregularities is false. DUBAWA found no official confirmation from EOCO supporting the claim. Awuku also publicly denied the report and appeared in a video in Kumasi on Sunday, August 16, a day after he was allegedly arrested.
This report was produced under the 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking and OSINT Fellowship, co-hosted by DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).
