‘By What Stretch of Imagination Should I Be Arrested by a ‘Woman?’—Ghanaian MP Sparks Outrage Confrontation With Law Enforcement

A member of the Ghana Parliament, Baffour Awuah, has sparked controversy following his comments regarding a dramatic confrontation with an officer from the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).

The lawmaker and attorney, who forcefully brushed away the woman and made his exit from the Accra High Court on Wednesday, later questioned why a female operative was sent to take him into custody.

In the now viral video, Awuah was seen being confronted by the
woman who identified herself as an officer in the EOCO to arrest him outside the court building.

During the heated exchange, the officer informed Baffour Awuah that he was wanted by the agency and noted that formal letters of invitation had already been delivered to his office.

When the operative requested that he accompany her to the EOCO headquarters, Baffour Awuah resisted and attempted to enter his vehicle. The female officer moved to physically block his path, but she was pushed aside by the MP’s aides.

The lawmaker then sped off, with the officer jumping into her own vehicle to give chase.

Speaking on Joy News TV on Thursday to address the incident, Baffour Awuah drew heavy criticism by framing his resistance around the officer’s gender.

While attempting to preemptively dismiss accusations of sexism, the lawmaker doubled down on his stance: “My brother, with the greatest of respect and humility, I don’t want to sound chauvinistic, but let me risk it—firstly, by what stretch of imagination would you say that I should be arrested by a woman?”

Baffour Awuah has maintained that he panicked and “ran to save his life,” characterizing the incident as an attempted state-sponsored kidnapping because the officer allegedly failed to produce an arrest warrant or proof of identification.