NPP leaders with Rev John Ntim Fordjour (far right) at his residence
The operatives of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), who reportedly went to arrest the Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, at his residence, have left.
This was after leading figures of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), including its Members of Parliament and national executives, trooped to Rev Ntim Fordjour’s home following reports of the operatives going there to arrest him.
The leader of the NPP caucus in Parliament, Minority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo, who spoke on behalf of the party’s leadership at Ntim Fordjour’s home, said that about 20 operatives who were there had left.
He said that his caucus, which he described as “The Mighty Minority”, will not allow any of its members to be intimidated or harassed by the John Dramani Mahama government.
He indicated that the comments Rev Ntim Fordjour made on the smuggling of cocaine into the country and money laundering were made as part of his parliamentary duties and on behalf of his caucus.
He added that there was no need to arrest or invite the Assin South MP over the comments he made about two planes that landed in the country being used to smuggle cocaine and launder money.
“The caucus expressed a view through its authorised member, Mr Ntim Fordjour, a reverend minister and a politician. If the government disagrees with views expressed, the government can also tell its side of the story.
“This is democracy. It’s not about ‘we are inviting you’. You come with armed men… about 20 of them. We don’t need it. If you disagree, you disagree. In any event, the caucus is calling for a bipartisan inquiry into this matter… they have de-escalated. They’ve left. They’ve gone back to wherever they came from,” he said.
He added, “We want to assure the government that we will cooperate if they approach things in a decent manner, but we will not be intimidated.”
Background:
Officers from the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) stormed the residence of Ntim Fordjour, who is the Ranking Member of Parliament on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, to reportedly effect his arrest.
A video shared by the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, supposedly at the home of the Assin South legislator, showed officials of the NIB at the entrance of his (Ntim Fordjour’s) home.
Other videos sighted by GhanaWeb online also show the officials of the NIB in the compound of Ntim Fordjour.
It is unknown if the NIB’s supposed attempt to arrest the lawmaker is related to his recent cocaine smuggling and money laundering allegations.
The MP for Assin South and the Minority’s Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee claimed at a press conference on April 1, 2025, that two flights, an air ambulance and a private jet, might have been involved in drug trafficking or money laundering.
He alleged that one of the aircraft, Air MED flight L823 AM, landed in Ghana on March 20 and stayed for five days without any record of transporting a patient.
These allegations led President John Dramani Mahama to order security agencies to “immediately and fully collaborate with the honourable Member of Parliament so he provides all necessary information to investigate the allegations and take all action necessary to expose any drug dealing.”
President Mahama also directed all security agencies to work with Rev Ntim Fordjour to investigate the drug trafficking and money laundering claims involving the two suspicious flights at Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
He emphasised that Ghana has a zero-tolerance policy for drug trafficking and will not allow the country to be used as a transit or final destination for illicit drugs.
BAI/MA
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