{
  "id": 10954577,
  "title": "Blocking cocaine probe lends weight to claims of political protection for traffickers – Assin South MP",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/blocking-cocaine-probe-lends-weight-to-claims-of-political-protection",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T13:49:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/blocking-cocaine-probe-lends-weight-to-claims-of-political-protection-for-traffickers-assin-south-mp/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, has expressed concern over the Speaker’s decision to reject a motion for an inquiry into recent cocaine seizures in Ghana. This decision, he argues, lends weight to allegations of political protection for drug traffickers in the country. The motion, presented by the Minority, aimed to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate how large consignments of cocaine were processed, inspected, cleared, and exported from Ghana. The Speaker, Alban Bagbin, deemed the motion inadmissible during an emergency sitting of Parliament. Rev. Ntim Fordjour stated that this decision aligns with the findings of the 2025 Global Organised Crime Index, which suggests that political protection may be contributing to a decline in visible cocaine trafficking in Ghana. He pointed out that law enforcement officials and civil society groups have raised concerns about falling seizures and reduced media coverage potentially masking ongoing trafficking activities. According to Rev. Ntim Fordjour, if the allegations regarding political protection were unfounded, the Speaker and the Majority would have had no reason to prevent a bipartisan parliamentary investigation. The Assin South MP emphasized that blocking the inquiry indicates the government and the Majority may be concealing information they wish to keep hidden. He noted that the Minority’s push for an inquiry was supported by organizations such as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Christian Council of Ghana, and other civil society groups, suggesting the proposed investigation was not merely a partisan political move.",
  "summary": "The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, says the decision by the Speaker and the NDC Majority to reject a motion for an ad hoc committee to investigate Ghana’s cocaine trafficking cases lends weight to claims that drug traffickers enjoy political protection.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Probe urged into alleged South African recruiters tied to Myanmar scam compounds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/probe-urged-into-alleged-south-african-recruiters-tied-to-myanmar",
        "published": "2026-09-30T11:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}