By: Abraham Njonaan Nlenkiba
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t has been few days now when armed robbers attacked people in a broad day light in Tatale, a town not far from Yendi in the Northern Region of Ghana.According to the reports,the armed robbers on motor bikes stormed Tatale town by opening fire on the people and collecting huge amount of money from the them.The security were called, but it took several minutes if not hours to get to the scene to arrest or defend the local people from the wrath of these robbers.
Information available indicates that, the residence of Nyojado,a suburb [ads1]of Tatale had to armed themselves to face the armed robbers and through exchange of gun fire,3 Of the residence lost their lives while 4 of the armed robbers were also joyfully killed.
Now,the questions one will ask are that: how far were the police and they could not respond to this emergency calls on time?,Even if there are few police in Tatale,how far is Tatale from Yendi;a place with heavy security? Are our security so afraid to face somehow untrained armed robbers?
From the look of things, it seems that, in Ghana most of our security forces are cowards and do not want to face the criminals squarely as we expect from them because they are trained to defend us. From my personal experience, most of our security forces, especially the police are not ready to defend the civilians.
Somewhere early part of 2017,I was in Yeji, a town in Brong-Ahafo Region where people cannot travel after 6pm through Atebubu, Ejura streets to Kumasi because armed robbers always attack people on that road.The bus I was traveling with wanted to move but we were seriously cautioned to stay overnight or else we would be attacked by armed robbers,the situation nothing was done about.
The next day we got to a police barrier and two police officers on motor bike came to pass and told their colleaques that there was armed robbery attack around Ejura so they are called to go there; ‘we won’t go,I will even switch off my phone,are we not humans and should go after an armed robber to lose our lives? “Said by one of the police officers at the barrier. I felt insecured for my life because if the security who are trained to defend us fear to do their work, what then can we the un armed civilians do?
Armed robbery cases in Ghana needs to be given much attention as done during President Atta Mills Regime where a lot of them were killed on attacks without mercy. But it seems that capital punishment in Ghana is totally abolished because I reliably got information that since 1992, no person has been executed after being sentenced to death by our courts of competence including armed robbers. This practice does not deter criminals to avoid committing crimes of high order like taken away someone’s life intentionally.
REWARD THE RESIDENCE FOR THEIR PATRIOTIC WORK
As Ghanaians, we all have allegiance to our nation since our constitution enjoined us to be ready to defend our country in terms of need, this is the same thing the residence of Nyojado did by arming themselves to defend, now the three of them lost their lives with others injured, the bereaved families should not be ignored for dying for their country Ghana. My appeal to government is to help the families of those who lost their lives to have befitting burial and funerals for them, for their work is purely nationalist. This will encourage all of us to join hands to fight and derive away this menace in Ghana.
WHAT HAPPENS, IF THE LOCALS of TATALE WERE WITHOUT WEAPONS?
On several occasions there are calls for all those to own weapons like small arms to register them but this registration process is so cumbersome for those desiring to own arms. In the Northern Region, if you are seen by the security with a gun either from farm or hunting, they collect them for not having papers, though I’m not against those demands but the registration process should be made flexible for the people to own arms for self-defense in the cases like what happened in Tatale, the branches should be opened in every district or else the armed robbery cases in our dear nation is becoming a normal thing.Government should also establish legal community watch dogs like what was in the former President J.J.Rawlings regime: The ”Militias” to help bring the crime rate down.
THE CALL FOR MORE SPECIAL FORCES
Our Special forces should not be based only in Accra and Kumasi, there should be a joined Military and police special forces to help defend us from these wicked armed robbers on our roads especially the road from Yeji to Kumasi,Yendi-Zabzugu-Tatale and the road from Yendi-Gusheigu,Bunkrugu-Nakpanduri-Bawku and other troubled locations or else our communities are becoming insecure for our existence. Those special forces should be properly trained and armed with protective clothing (bullets-proofed) to counter those armed robbers in Ghana.
I also call on the security to step up efforts to sentence those of the armed robbers arrested in Tatale and to force them to get their accomplice.
