Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has given details of the arrest of Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in the United States, describing it as a targeted operation rather than a routine enforcement action.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, 10 January 2026, Manasseh said witnesses confirmed that Mr Ofori-Atta was arrested at the Westlight building, a residential complex located at 1111 24th Street in Northwest Washington, D.C.
He said the Westlight is a high-end apartment complex in one of the capital’s most affluent neighbourhoods, approximately a 20-minute walk from the White House. According to Manasseh, the former finance minister is reported to have been living there with his wife and son.
Manasseh noted that the building is known to house prominent figures. He said former US Vice President Kamala Harris previously lived in the same complex before selling her two-bedroom apartment for about $1.85 million after her election.
According to Manasseh, it remains unclear whether Mr Ofori-Atta owns or rents the apartment. However, sources indicated that he had been residing there until the morning of 6 January, when authorities reportedly surrounded the building and took him into custody.
He said the arrest took place at about 11:00 a.m. as Mr Ofori-Atta was leaving the premises, after which he was transported to a detention facility.
Manasseh suggested that the circumstances of the arrest point to a deliberate, targeted operation. He said that while US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is often associated with large-scale arrests in public places, this case appeared different.
He said the operation did not resemble a mass sweep and instead involved officers going directly to a secure, private residence, indicating that the arrest was planned specifically to apprehend Mr Ofori-Atta.
