Security analyst criticises national security over delayed response to alleged drug flights
Security analyst Col. Festus Aboagye (Rtd) has criticised Ghana’s national security agencies for their delayed response to allegations of suspicious flights landing at Kotoka International Airport (KIA), which have been linked to possible drug trafficking and money laundering.
Speaking on Joy FM on April 2, 2025, Col. Aboagye questioned why security agencies failed to act independently before President John Dramani Mahama directed an investigation.
“National security should have been ahead of this issue and provided a report to the President. They should have monitored these flights, their cargo, who arrived, and who departed,” he said. “Instead, it took a statement from a ranking member in Parliament to trigger a reaction, which then led to the President’s directive. That is not how it should work.”
The controversy began after the Minority in Parliament, led by Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, alleged that two private aircraft, AirMed flight N823AM and Cavok Air, landed at KIA in March 2025 under suspicious circumstances. The Minority has called for full disclosure on the flights and their cargo.
Responding to the allegations, President Mahama ordered an investigation involving the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the National Investigations Bureau (NIB), and the National Security Secretariat.
He cited a recent $350 million drug bust by the NIB as proof of the government’s commitment to tackling drug-related crimes.
Col. Aboagye, however, questioned why national security failed to detect and investigate the flights earlier.
“If these aircraft indeed carried illicit cargo and national security had no intelligence or failed to act, then there is a serious problem,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that the Minority’s allegations were politically motivated, arguing that such concerns should be investigated regardless of party lines. “Opposition parties have always raised security concerns. The responsibility of any government is to investigate, not to dismiss issues as politics,” he noted.
He further warned that Ghana risks becoming a major transit hub for criminal activities if security oversight remains weak.
Col. Aboagye called for a review of security operations at the airport, including staff deployment and intelligence-sharing measures.
