Tensions are expected to rise today, Monday, July 7, 2025, as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and members of the Minority in Parliament mobilize to stage a protest at the offices of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
The demonstration is in response to what they describe as the unlawful and unjustified detention of Abdul-Wahab Hanan, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO).
The party accuses EOCO of trampling on Mr. Hanan’s human rights, claiming he has fulfilled all the bail conditions imposed on him, yet remains in custody.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Newsroom on Sunday, NPP National Youth Organiser Salam Mustapha launched a scathing critique of EOCO’s conduct, demanding that the former NAFCO boss be allowed to defend himself in court rather than being “unjustly punished” through prolonged detention.
“If Hannan has done something wrong, put him before a court of law and let him have his day. We will go to the EOCO office together with some MPs, party sympathisers, and executives, and ask why. We want to know why he is still being kept in the station when the conditions that you put on him have been met,” he said.
Mr. Mustapha expressed particular frustration with EOCO’s silence and apparent unwillingness to process Mr. Hanan’s release despite an evaluation report proving that the bail terms had been exceeded.
“The evaluation report that we have far exceeds those bill conditions. When everything was finished, we were calling Raymond Archer, his deputies, to come and just go through and grant the young man bail to go home, none of them picked their phone calls. So, he has been left there as punishment for exactly what we do not know,” he added.
Abdul-Wahab Hanan was arrested on June 25, 2025, along with his wife, in connection with ongoing investigations into alleged financial malfeasance at NAFCO. His wife has since been released on a GH¢30 million bail, but Mr. Hanan remains in custody as EOCO claims the GH¢60 million bail terms for his release are not yet fully satisfied.
The high-profile arrest was part of a sweeping EOCO operation executed simultaneously in Accra and Tamale, targeting suspected economic crimes linked to NAFCO. A third individual, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, was also picked up in connection with the case.
As public pressure mounts, today’s protest at EOCO headquarters is likely to intensify the spotlight on the agency’s handling of the matter. The NPP and Minority MPs say they are not just demanding justice for Mr. Hanan—they are also pushing back against what they perceive as growing instances of arbitrary detention and bureaucratic overreach.
