The leadership of Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) will not be compromised in the fight against drug trafficking, Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah said on Saturday.
Twum-Barimah made the statement during an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, responding to allegations from Rev John Ntim Fordjour, Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee. Fordjour has questioned the handling of narcotics cases by Ghanaian authorities and suggested possible complicity within NACOC.
“Under no circumstances will the leadership of the Narcotics Control Commission be ever compromised. It will never happen,” Twum-Barimah said.
The controversy centers on claims that 73 parcels of cocaine left Ghana for the Netherlands undetected. Twum-Barimah denied this, saying the parcels were intercepted in Ghana and not abroad.
“Now he mentioned that 73 parcels of cocaine left this country for the Netherlands. It’s also false. It is false. That 73 parcels of cocaine were arrested here. It was never arrested in the Netherlands,” he said.
He also pushed back against allegations of personal collusion. Fordjour had accused him of working with others to facilitate drug shipments out of the country. Twum-Barimah questioned the evidence behind those accusations.
“And you will hear him attacking me personally, that I have colluded with the people to get these drugs out of town. What evidence do you have?” he asked.
The Deputy Director-General said he was present during an inspection of an aircraft at the airport linked to the allegations. He said the aircraft was checked by security agencies on March 16, 2025, and no drugs were found.
“Ntim Fordjour made this blatant allegation on the 7th of April 2025. On the 16th of March 2025, I was at the airport together with other security agencies that did an examination on the aircraft, and it was negative,” he said.
Twum-Barimah called on those commenting publicly on ongoing narcotics investigations to verify their information first.
“Don’t be saying things that you don’t have information about. It’s not right,” he said.
He added that NACOC and other state agencies have taken steps to address narcotics trafficking. Individuals identified in connection with the cases are undergoing judicial and investigative processes.
“As agencies of the country, we’ve taken steps. Individuals that we knew or we picked are going through the various judicial and investigative processes. We will get to the end of this matter,” he said.
Twum-Barimah criticised what he described as personal attacks on officials amid the national drug challenges.
“But the fact that something has happened, and we are dealing with it at a national level, doesn’t mean that you should go about attacking individuals. It is wrong,” he said.
He reiterated NACOC’s commitment to working with other agencies to protect Ghana’s narcotics-control system and maintain the country’s image.
The latest statements come amid growing public scrutiny of Ghana’s efforts to curb drug trafficking. The allegations by a parliamentary official have drawn attention to the challenges facing security agencies in tackling narcotics movement and the risks of corruption accusations within those agencies.
Twum-Barimah’s firm rejection of the claims underscores the sensitivity surrounding the issue and the pressure on NACOC to prove its integrity while handling complex investigations.
According to Joy Online.
