The First Deputy Minority Whip and Member of Parliament for Tolon, Habib Iddrisu, has filed a private members' motion seeking a parliamentary inquiry into a series of high-profile narcotics seizures linked to Ghana. The motion, dated September 28, 2026, and submitted to the Clerk to Parliament under Standing Order 102, is co-sponsored by eight other New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs. The proposed inquiry comes ahead of Parliament's extraordinary sitting on Tuesday, September 29.
The motion seeks 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 inquiry. The committee would examine the circumstances surrounding a number of major narcotics seizures, including the nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine seized by French Customs at Dunkirk on September 10. The motion puts the value of that consignment at about US$261 million.
The proposed committee would investigate the ports of departure and the security procedures applied, including intelligence profiling, scanning, physical inspection, and customs clearance. It would also seek to establish the identities and roles of companies, state agencies, and other entities involved in processing and clearing the consignments, subject to restrictions arising from ongoing criminal investigations.
The committee would assess the adequacy of scanning, surveillance, intelligence, and other security systems at Ghana's seaports, airports, and points of entry and exit. The proposed committee would also examine the status of investigations, arrests, and prosecutions arising from the various seizures. It would assess the level of cooperation and intelligence sharing between Ghanaian authorities and their counterparts in France, Australia, and other jurisdictions.
Another area of focus would be efforts to identify the alleged financiers, organisers, facilitators, and wider networks behind major narcotics trafficking operations. The committee would subsequently recommend legislative, administrative, security, and institutional reforms aimed at preventing Ghana from being used as an origin, transit, or operational point for international narcotics trafficking.
The motion comes after the Minority Caucus petitioned the Speaker for an extraordinary sitting over what it described as urgent national security concerns arising from the seizures. Speaker Alban Bagbin subsequently summoned Parliament to sit at noon on Tuesday, September 29, under Article 112(3) of the Constitution and the Standing Orders.
The call for an inquiry has also received support from groups outside Parliament. The Minority has argued that the scale of the seizures warrants parliamentary scrutiny, particularly regarding Ghana's ports, customs controls, intelligence gathering, and narcotics enforcement.
Key points
- The inquiry will examine the circumstances surrounding major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana.
- The proposed committee will assess the adequacy of security systems at Ghana's ports and borders.
- The inquiry aims to prevent Ghana from being used for international narcotics trafficking.
