Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has defended his decision to drive away from Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) officials after an attempt to take him to the agency on Wednesday.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express hours after the incident, the private legal practitioner said he was willing to go to EOCO, but only if the agency was ready to follow what he described as the proper procedure.

Baffour Awuah said the incident occurred after he had come out of court and addressed the media.

He said a woman then approached him and told him that he was needed at EOCO. According to him, the woman firmly held his wrist, prompting him to wriggle himself free.

He said he then offered to drive himself to EOCO in his car.

“I said, Me? You’ve written to me, right? So it was at that point that I called Afuakwa, and they said they need me in EOCO. Let’s sit in my car. I will drive there.”

But he said the woman insisted that he could not use his car and attempted to take him in an EOCO vehicle.

Baffour Awuah said he then asked the woman to produce identification showing that she was from EOCO. “She couldn’t even produce it,” he said.

He said the development heightened his suspicion about the encounter.

“Then I thought that, look, this is one of the kidnappings that have been going on, illegal; this is one of the kidnappings, state-sponsored kidnappings that have been going on, and so I will not sit in the car.”

Baffour Awuah maintained that he was not running away from an investigation.

“I will not sit in the car. So I would rather sit in my car and now make sure that when EOCO is right ready to do the right thing, I will go there. I’m not afraid of anything.”

He also rejected the suggestion that his decision to go to Parliament amounted to running away from a lawful arrest.

“This is an unlawful arrest. This is an unlawful arrest. An attempt to abduct me by persons who don’t want to work with law, and so it is not wrong if I’m seeking sanctuary.”

He said his decision to seek sanctuary at Parliament was therefore justified.

“In fact, you seek sanctuary against kidnappers, and so if I’m seeking sanctuary, it is not wrong. My brother, is it wrong?”

EOCO has said the attempted arrest was part of steps to secure Baffour Awuah’s attendance in an ongoing investigation. The agency says he had been invited twice in February but did not honour the invitations.

Baffour Awuah, however, maintained that the invitation had not been properly made to him personally.

“They have not invited my person, and I’ve established that.” He insisted that he had nothing to fear from the investigation.

“Which lawyer has gotten which lawyer, I mean, just by you representing your client, right? You are arrested for representing it doesn’t happen.”

He added that attempts to frustrate him would not change his position.

“You can use your power to frustrate me and do so many things, but eventually you can never win in the courtroom, because there’s nothing untoward.”

Baffour Awuah concluded: “And so, you know, when they are ready to do the right thing, I will go.”