Manhyia South MP Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah has explained what informed his decision to drive away after Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) officials attempted to take him to the agency on Wednesday.

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

Baffour Awuah said the incident happened after he had come out of court and spoken to the media.

According to him, a woman then approached him and told him that he was needed at EOCO.

He said the woman firmly held his wrist, prompting him to wriggle himself free.

Baffour Awuah said he then offered to drive himself to EOCO in his own 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.”

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

Baffour Awuah said he then asked her to produce identification showing that she was from EOCO, but she could not do so.

“She couldn’t even produce it,” he said.

He said this heightened his suspicion about what was happening.

“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.”

The MP said his decision to drive away was, therefore, informed by his concerns about the manner in which he was being approached.

He maintained that he was not running away from an investigation and was prepared to go to EOCO if the agency approached him properly.

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

Baffour Awuah also defended his decision to go to Parliament after the incident, rejecting the suggestion that it amounted to running away from a lawful 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 he was not seeking to evade the investigation.

“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 said he had been invited twice in February but did not honour the invitations.

Baffour Awuah disputed this, saying the invitations had not been properly made to him personally.

“They have not invited my person, and I’ve established that.”

He also insisted that he had nothing to fear from the investigation.

“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.”

The MP said he remained ready to appear before EOCO once the agency followed what he considered the proper procedure.

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