By Daniel Bampoe
Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, a former Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has been released on bail after a week-long ordeal involving the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
His detention, searches of his residence, and sudden hospitalization under NIB custody have intensified speculation over the involvement of President John Dramani Mahama’s Secretary, Callistus Mahama, in the unfolding events.
The controversy traces back to February 3, 2026, when the Secretary to the President issued a formal communiqué to the Director-General of the NIB, directing the agency to investigate allegations reportedly made by Nkansah on Sompa Radio 106.5.
During the radio discussion, Nkansah claimed that certain individuals—including some politically connected persons—had allegedly paid large sums of money, reportedly as much as GH¢100,000, to secure government-sponsored scholarships to study abroad.
The Presidential directive instructed the NIB to conduct investigations and submit their findings to the Presidency.
On February 5, 2026, Nkansah voluntarily complied with the invitation from the NIB and presented himself at their offices in Accra, accompanied by his legal counsel, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South.
After cooperating fully with the investigation, he was allowed to return home without charge.
The situation escalated on February 9, 2026, when Nkansah was in Kumasi attending to his seriously ill father.
The NIB reportedly issued another summons, insisting he report on February 11, despite his request to attend on the following day due to his father’s condition.
When Nkansah complied with the summons on February 11, heavily armed NIB officers accompanied him to his residence for a search before returning him to the NIB office at NIMA.
The ordeal reportedly worsened his health, prompting the NIB to rush him to hospital while still in their custody.
Amid mounting tensions, Nkansah was formally charged with allegedly publishing false information and was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, February 13, 2026.
However, following a public statement from his lawyer on Asempa FM highlighting procedural irregularities and irregularities in his treatment, Nkansah was granted bail and released.
Baffour Awuah later indicated that even NIB officers were reportedly unsettled by the orders they had received, acknowledging that the instructions came “from above,” suggesting the influence of the Presidential Secretary.
The episode has drawn widespread political reaction. The NPP, through its National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, condemned the arrest and characterized the actions of the NIB as abusive, politically motivated, and intended to intimidate Nkansah.
Party officials threatened mass protests at the NIB headquarters in Accra if he was not released, framing the incident as part of broader oppression and abuse of power by the National Democratic Congress government.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament also weighed in, releasing a statement on February 11, 2026, accusing the NIB of infringing on Nkansah’s rights and conducting excessive and unnecessary actions that undermine the rule of law.
The Minority noted that Nkansah had cooperated fully with authorities, yet was forcibly accompanied to his home for searches and transported to an unknown location, cutting him off from access to his legal counsel.
The statement condemned the conduct as politically targeted and warned that such actions are counterproductive to the democracy.
The case has not only raised questions about the integrity of the scholarship allocation system, which Nkansah publicly criticized, but also about the independence of state security agencies and the role of political influence in high-profile investigations.
The mention of Callistus Mahama’s name during public discussions, coinciding with Nkansah’s release, has fueled speculation that the Secretary to the President may have played a pivotal role in the decisions surrounding the arrest and detention.
