Habib Iddrisu files motion for parliamentary inquiry into Ghana-linked narcotics seizures
First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, has filed a private members’ motion seeking a parliamentary inquiry into a number of major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.
The motion, dated September 28, 2026, was submitted to the Clerk to Parliament under Standing Order 102 and is co-sponsored by eight other New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs.
The co-sponsors are Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Dominic Nitiwul, Abena Osei-Asare, Patrick Boamah, Alhassan Tampuli, Mahama Abdul Kabiru and Samuel Awuku.
The proposed inquiry comes ahead of Parliament’s extraordinary sitting scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, which was summoned by Speaker Alban Bagbin following a petition led by Mr Iddrisu concerning recent narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.
The motion calls for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee under Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution and Order 262 of Parliament’s Standing Orders to conduct a thorough, transparent and bipartisan investigation.
Among the cases to be examined is the seizure of nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine by French Customs at Dunkirk on September 10.
The motion estimates the value of the consignment at approximately US$261 million, while French authorities have separately valued the seizure at about €225 million.
The proposed inquiry would also examine the seizure of 320kg of methamphetamine in Australia in June 2026, as well as major cocaine interceptions in Ghana in 2025.
The sponsors are further seeking investigations into any other narcotics-related seizures linked to Ghana since the beginning of the Ninth Parliament.
A major focus of the inquiry would be how the consignments were processed, inspected, cleared and exported from Ghana.
The committee would investigate the ports of departure and security measures applied, including intelligence profiling, scanning, physical inspections and customs clearance procedures.
It would also seek to establish the roles and identities of companies, state institutions and other entities involved in processing and clearing the consignments, subject to limitations imposed by ongoing criminal investigations.
The proposed committee would further assess the effectiveness of scanning, surveillance, intelligence and other security systems at Ghana’s seaports, airports and other points of entry and exit.
It would also examine the status of investigations, arrests and prosecutions connected to the various seizures.
Another area of investigation would be the level of cooperation and intelligence sharing between Ghanaian authorities and their counterparts in France, Australia and other jurisdictions.
The committee would also examine efforts to identify alleged financiers, organisers, facilitators and broader networks involved in major narcotics trafficking operations.
At the end of its work, the committee is expected to recommend legislative, administrative, security and institutional reforms to prevent Ghana from being used as a source, transit route or operational base for international narcotics trafficking.
The motion follows a petition by the Minority Caucus to the Speaker seeking an extraordinary sitting over what it described as urgent national security concerns arising from the narcotics seizures.
Speaker Alban Bagbin subsequently summoned Parliament to sit at noon on Tuesday, September 29, under Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders. The initial notice from the Speaker did not specify the detailed business for the sitting.
The Minority has argued that the scale of the seizures requires parliamentary scrutiny, particularly regarding Ghana’s ports, customs controls, intelligence gathering and narcotics enforcement.
The proposed inquiry has also attracted support from groups outside Parliament.
