By Grace Zigah
A dramatic escalation has emerged in the ongoing standoff between the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple, a member of the Council of State and perceived ally of John Mahama, as the state investigative body officially declared him a fugitive over alleged involvement in a gold fraud scheme.
In a strongly worded public release dated April 9, 2026, EOCO announced that Kwamigah-Atokple is currently on the run and is believed to be hiding within the Volta Region.
The agency disclosed that its Surveillance and Asset Recovery Unit has been deployed to track and apprehend him, while urging the public to provide any information that could lead to his arrest.
The latest development stems from a series of investigations that began in November 2025, when EOCO received multiple petitions against Kwamigah-Atokple and his company, Sesi-Edem Company Limited.
According to the EOCO, at least three separate complaints have been filed, all alleging a pattern of gold-related fraud involving the company. It insists the petitions point to a consistent scheme of defrauding under the guise of gold transactions.
EOCO further revealed that since the initiation of investigations, it had extended several opportunities to the businessman and his company to respond to the allegations and assist with inquiries.
However, the Office claims that Kwamigah-Atokple has persistently refused to cooperate, choosing instead to evade investigators while allegedly leveraging political influence, traditional authority, and media narratives to frustrate the process.
The agency also pushed back against recent public interventions, including statements attributed to the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, which appeared to defend a member of the Council of State.
EOCO described such commentary as misleading and maintained that its actions are strictly grounded in law and within its investigative mandate.
Adding further context to the controversy, EOCO noted Kwamigah-Atokple’s past association with Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM1, the embattled former CEO of Menzgold Ghana Limited, whose widely publicised legal troubles over gold dealership operations shook the financial sector in previous years.
Despite mounting public scrutiny and legal arguments from the businessman’s camp in earlier phases of the dispute, EOCO maintains that the suspect’s conduct now constitutes an active attempt to evade justice.
The Office stressed that no individual, regardless of status or political affiliation, is above the law and vowed to ensure that Kwamigah-Atokple is brought before the courts to answer the allegations.
The declaration of a sitting Council of State member as a fugitive marks a significant and controversial moment in Ghana’s governance and legal landscape, raising fresh questions about the intersection of politics, law enforcement, and accountability.
