Former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called for a bipartisan parliamentary investigation into concerns over drug trafficking through Ghana’s borders.
He wants Parliament to establish a committee with the authority to summon witnesses and obtain shipping records to investigate how narcotics shipments allegedly pass through the country undetected.
Dr Bawumia made the proposal while addressing the NPP National Delegates Conference in Kumasi, where he expressed concern about Ghana’s reputation following reports of drug seizures abroad involving shipments said to have originated from the country.
He accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of failing to take sufficiently decisive steps to address the situation, arguing that meetings alone would not produce the answers Ghanaians needed.
“Our dear motherland is gaining notoriety for drugs being arrested abroad, having passed through our borders unnoticed. Our country’s name is being dragged through the ports of Europe, and the government has answered with meetings, not results,” he said.
The former Vice President argued that investigations should go beyond the arrest of individuals used to transport illegal substances, commonly referred to as couriers.
He said authorities must establish the identities of those financing the shipments and determine how the consignments manage to pass through Ghana’s borders.
“Arresting couriers is not enough. Ghanaians want to know who is financing these shipments and how they keep getting through,” Dr Bawumia stressed.
He added that the issue required urgent attention, citing concerns raised by religious organisations, civil society groups and other members of the public about the potential damage to Ghana’s international reputation.
The proposed parliamentary committee, he said, should conduct its proceedings publicly to ensure accountability and establish the facts surrounding the reported drug trafficking cases.
