“His Face Is Not a Warrant” — Dominic Nitiwul Slams NIB Boss Over Botched Arrest of MP

Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has issued a blistering critique of the Director-General of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), Charles Alhassan Kipo, over a failed and controversial attempt to arrest Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the Member of Parliament for Assin South.

The tense incident unfolded at Fordjour’s Spintex residence in Accra, where a team of heavily armed operatives, including masked NIB officials and more than 15 police officers, surrounded the house in what appeared to be a covert operation to apprehend the MP.

But according to Mr Nitiwul, the entire event was unlawful, disturbing, and reckless.

“I got a call from one of my colleagues that the ranking member of the Defence and Interior Committee’s house had been surrounded… I counted over 15 officers,” Nitiwul recounted on Joy News’ PM Express.

The former minister said he was stunned that such an operation could be authorised by someone he once trusted with high-level responsibilities in government.

“Charles Kipo was my senior. We worked with him and gave him a very sensitive job. I never expected this kind of conduct from him.”

Upon arrival at the scene, Nitiwul said what he saw was nothing short of an abuse of state power. He immediately questioned the operatives about the legitimacy of their action.

“I asked, ‘Do you have a warrant to arrest him?’ They said no. One of them, the leader, actually told us that his seniority was enough—his face alone is a warrant,” Nitiwul said, visibly incredulous.

That justification, he said, was met with fierce opposition from several legal experts present, who reminded the operatives that seniority does not override constitutional rights.

“We had a lot of lawyers there. They told them clearly—just being a senior NIB official doesn’t give you authority to bypass due process. This is a Member of Parliament. He has rights like every other citizen.”

Even more troubling, Nitiwul said, was the fact that many of the NIB officials concealed their identities by wearing masks—a move he described as intimidating and unacceptable in a democratic society.

“Why were some of them masked? What were they hiding? This isn’t a movie scene—it’s Ghana. We are governed by law, not theatrics.”

He emphasised that no matter the suspicions against an individual, especially an MP, lawful procedures must be followed in any arrest.

“If the police have reasonable grounds, they must present them and follow the law. You don’t storm someone’s home without a warrant and claim your face is a legal document.”

The incident has sparked public outrage and intensified calls for parliamentary protection of its members from executive overreach.

Nitiwul’s candid remarks highlight growing concerns about the abuse of intelligence operations for political purposes and the deteriorating trust between state institutions and the very public they serve.

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