NPP supporters protest outside EOCO over arrest of Dennis Miracles Aboagye

Supporters of Ghana's main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) have gathered outside the headquarters of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in Accra to demand the release of party communications team member Dennis "Miracles" Aboagye.

The demonstration on Monday follows Mr Aboagye's arrest at Kotoka International Airport over the weekend after he returned to Ghana.

His detention has become the latest flashpoint between the opposition party and the anti-graft agency, with the NPP describing the arrest as politically motivated.

Earlier on Monday, EOCO said Mr Aboagye, a former Executive Secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee on Decentralisation (IMCCoD), is under investigation over the alleged misappropriation and diversion of about GH¢55m in public funds.

The agency said the investigation relates to alleged financial and procurement irregularities at the decentralisation secretariat between August 2022 and February 2025.

EOCO said Mr Aboagye is being investigated alongside the former IMCCoD accountant, Gerald Appiah, and other unnamed individuals over suspected offences including stealing, causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit and money laundering.

NPP challenges arrest

Despite EOCO's explanation, the NPP says it remains concerned about the circumstances surrounding Mr Aboagye's arrest.

The party alleges that investigators failed to immediately disclose the reasons for his detention and claims he was initially denied access to his lawyers after being taken into custody.

Those allegations have not been publicly addressed by EOCO or the Ghana Immigration Service.

Scores of party supporters assembled outside EOCO's offices on Monday, chanting party slogans and calling for

Mr Aboagye's immediate release or his appearance before a court.

The protest underscores growing political tensions over the high-profile investigation, with opposition leaders accusing the government of targeting political opponents.

Arrest announced by NPP

The arrest first became public on Sunday when the NPP's General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, announced in a Facebook post that Mr Aboagye had been arrested on arrival at Kotoka International Airport.

EOCO has rejected suggestions that the investigation is linked to Mr Aboagye's political activities, insisting that the case stems from an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged financial and procurement offences.

The agency says Mr Aboagye will be granted bail in accordance with Ghana's Constitution while investigations continue.