nvestigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has provided details surrounding the arrest of Ghana’s former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in the United States, describing the operation as a targeted arrest.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One
TV on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Manasseh said sources who witnessed the arrest confirmed that Mr Ofori-Atta was picked up at the Westlight building, located at 1111 24th Street in Northwest Washington, D.C.
He explained that the Westlight building is a high-end residential complex situated in one of Washington, D.C.’s most expensive neighbourhoods, about a 20-minute walk from the White House, where the former minister reportedly lives with his wife and son.
According to Manasseh, the facility is known to house prominent personalities. He noted that former United States Vice President Kamala Harris previously lived in the same building before moving out after her election, selling her two-bedroom apartment for about $1.85 million at the time.
He added that while it is unclear whether Mr Ofori-Atta owns or rents the apartment, sources indicate that he had been living there until the morning of January 6, when authorities reportedly surrounded the building and took him into custody.
Manasseh further disclosed that the arrest occurred at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday as the former finance minister was exiting the building.
“He was arrested at the Westlight building, which is located at 1111,24th Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., and we are told this is a very expensive residential area in Washington, D.C., located about 20 minutes’ walk from the White House.
“Some of the people who have lived in this facility include the immediate past Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. She had a two-bedroom apartment in this building and moved out when she was elected Vice President. We know the cost of that facility, I mean, the two-bedroom apartment in that complex, she sold it for $1.85 million at the time she was leaving.
“So we’re told it’s a very expensive facility, secure, and prominent people live there. We don’t know whether Ken Ofori-Atta has bought the facility or he’s renting, but sources say this is where he’s been living, going in and out, until the morning of January 6, when the authorities surrounded him and drove him to his current detention centre,” he said.
He added that the manner of the arrest suggests it was a targeted operation, noting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is typically associated with mass arrests in public places.
“When we talk about ICE, I think those who watch foreign news and sometimes social media, these officials go around to enforce the immigration policy of the US. So most of their activity, sometimes they go to public places, factories, and other places to do mass sweeps and arrests. But in the case of Ken Ofori-Atta, we are hearing it was like a targeted operation.
“It wasn’t like a mass sweep, and as we know, this is a high-end residential complex. So it appears they went there purposely to arrest him, and once they got him into the car, they moved,”he added.
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Meanwhile, Lawyer for former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Frank Davies, says his client is in the United States legally and is not an illegal immigrant, as claimed in some reports.
Lawyer Davies explained on Joy News’ Newsfile that Ofori-Atta lawfully entered the US on a visa issued for medical and professional purposes but later applied for an extension and adjustment of status due to medical considerations that required him to remain in the country beyond the original period granted.
Ofori-Atta’s visa was set to expire on February 14, 2025, and he had started the process to get it extended.
Lawyer Davies argued that Ofori-Atta is cooperating fully with US immigration authorities and has a pending petition for adjustment of status, which allows him to stay in the US legally beyond the validity of his original visa.
He insisted that the extradition proceedings requested by the government have nothing to do with Ofori-Atta’s current immigration status.
Ofori-Atta is currently being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia, and his US legal team is working to resolve the matter.
