A member of the communications team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Roger TD Wills, has called on National Security to invite New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Organiser Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, to substantiate his claim that cocaine is manufactured in Ghana.
According to Wills, the claim should be properly investigated rather than left unaddressed.
“Nana B claims there’s a cocaine factory in Ghana. Cool. National Security should invite him to give the guided tour,” Wills, who is aspiring to become Deputy Communications Officer of the NDC, said.
His comments come amid a separate debate over remarks by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin describing Ghana as a potential “hub” for cocaine-related activities.
Mr Afenyo-Markin has defended the description, explaining that it was metaphorical and intended to provide context to concerns about the alleged movement of cocaine through Ghana.
Speaking on Adom TV, he said his remarks were informed by reports of cocaine allegedly passing through Ghana’s borders, as well as statements attributed to government officials regarding possible official involvement.
“It is not a matter of evidence. The statement was what I will call metaphorical; it was a metaphor,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin argued that repeated arrests involving cocaine allegedly passing through the country’s borders raised concerns about the effectiveness of border controls.
He also referenced claims attributed to a Cabinet Minister that some government officials were allegedly involved and that foreign partners had concerns about Ghana’s systems.
“If you are allowing your corridors to be flooded with cocaine and every now and then there are arrests, cocaine passes through your borders without any proper checks, when your own Cabinet Minister comes to say that, one, there are government officials involved, and two, the foreign partners don’t trust Ghana because they feel that our system is compromised,” he said.
He maintained that such circumstances could create an environment conducive to the cocaine trade.
“What you are telling us is that you have created a lab for a cocaine business to drive,” he added.
Mr Afenyo-Markin further explained that his use of the word “hub” was intended to describe a situation where Ghana could potentially serve as a transit point for cocaine brought into the country and subsequently moved to other destinations.
“So the language used was a metaphor and basically situating what we find out ourselves in a certain context. If you allow your corridors to be used and it gets out of control, obviously you are creating a hub for that business to be processed,” he said.
By:Rachael Djabakie