Former Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, Collins Owusu Amankwah, has criticized the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) for arresting Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi without securing a warrant.
Professor Ameyaw-Ekumfi, former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), was arrested by the NIB in the early hours of Sunday, February 23, 2025. He was later released following allegations that he was directly involved in the $2 million payment for the Accra Sky Train Project.
However, Owusu Amankwah condemned the manner of the arrest, arguing that the NIB cannot detain individuals without a judicial warrant, as required by law.
“We just don’t invite someone just like that. You have to follow the law and secure a warrant from a judge or a chairperson of a tribunal or a police superintendent. We have made the law for them. So if I was the one invited, I would’ve asked for their warrant. We won’t let people break the law to frighten others.”
He expressed outrage over the treatment of the 80-year-old professor, who, according to him, was unwell and denied the opportunity to take his medication or even have breakfast before being taken into custody at 6 a.m.
He further argued that there is no evidence linking Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi to the payment in question, as he neither signed a cheque nor authorized any transactions. He suggested that if the NIB needed a witness, they should have approached the former CEO of GIIF instead of subjecting Ameyaw-Akumfi to public humiliation.
Owusu Amankwah also compared the Accra Sky Train Project to the 2013 Hope City Project, initiated under President Mahama in 2013 to build Africa’s tallest skyscraper in Accra at the height of 270m (885ft), which never materialized.
He warned that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government uses the NIB for political harassment, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will mobilize its supporters to face the government.
“Look if the NDC has decided to use NIB to engage in political harassment and persecution in this country trust you me, we are going to mobilize our people and face this government once and for all. We won’t entertain corruption and we won’t allow them to hide behind these security agencies to disgrace people”.
