John Dramani Mahama, Alexander Afenyo-Markin and John Ntim Fordjour (L – R)
Minority Leader Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin expressed his displeasure with a supposed attempt to arrest the Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, over his allegation of cocaine smuggling and money laundering at the Kotoka International Airport.
Addressing the press on behalf of the party’s leadership at Ntim Fordjour’s home on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Afenyo-Markin indicated that the supposed attempt amounts to the use of the state’s security agencies to terrorise critics of the government.
He asserted that President John Dramani Mahama’s second term is his legacy term and should not be marred by incidents like what was seen at Ntim Fordjour’s home.
“This morning we heard of this intimidation and harassment from the NIB. We least expected such a step to be taken by the government using agents of the state.
“Our country is a country of democracy, and I’m reiterating a point. His Excellency President Mahama, I don’t see him as a politician; I see him as a statesman because this term is his final term. So those who work under him should help him to leave a legacy,” he said.
He added, “What we are experiencing shouldn’t be part of his legacy. Four years is far but near. Ghana has been in this exercise for years and we don’t need what we’ve experienced.”
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 said 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 allegedly used to smuggle cocaine and launder money.
“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 added.
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 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, 2025 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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