The government has released visual evidence to counter claims made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding the alleged involvement of two foreign aircraft in drug trafficking and money laundering in Ghana.
Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a response on Sunday April 6th 2025, provided actual footage of security officials inspecting one of the aircraft, a Cavok Air Antonov An-12B, upon its arrival at the Kotoka International Airport.
The footage, according to the Minister, confirms that the aircraft was transporting a cargo of oil drills and jerrycans filled with oil—not illicit substances as speculated.
“Don’t let anyone lie to you and shift the goalpost when pressed for evidence,” Kwakye Ofosu said. “These pictures show engineers fixing damaged tyres on the landing gear of the AirMed aircraft. The damaged parts and engineers were brought in by a different aircraft, which explains why it stayed for five days.”
This rebuttal follows a press conference held early this week by former Deputy Education Minister and MP for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the Ranking Member of Ghana’s Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior.
On Saturday 5th April 2025, Rev. John Fordjour abruptly walked out of Joy FM’s Newsfile after being confronted with questions regarding the presence of the two aircraft-AirMed flight N823AM and the Cavok Air cargo jet .
Felix Kwakye Ofosu had initially defended the government’s handling of the situation, insisting that the aircraft were on legitimate missions and that all necessary protocols had been followed.
However, mounting pressure and public skepticism escalated the issue into a political controversy compeling the government to produce visual evidence to expose the New Patriotic Party claims.
On April 6, the NPP director of Communication Richard Richard Ahiagbah, issued a Press release demanding transparency and accountability from the government, accusing it of trivializing serious matters of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The party cited the unexplained presence and mechanical faults of the aircraft while in Ghana as suspicious, and also demanded updates on two previous drug-related seizures in Cape Coast and Sekondi.
In response, Kwakye Ofosu emphasized that the government had nothing to hide and that the claims were politically motivated.
“The government’s explanation is not contrived, as some are trying to suggest. The footage and inspection reports are available, and the appropriate security agencies were involved from the beginning,” he stated.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime had earlier called on Ghana to ensure transparency in investigating the aircrafts’ mission. However, with the release of footage and further technical clarifications, government officials are hopeful that the allegations can be put to rest.
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to upholding Ghana’s international obligations in the fight against transnational crime and says it will not tolerate attempts to politicize national security matters.
Source: www.kumasimail.com /Isaac Justice Bediako
