I am a Citizen.
I rise to ask my respected Retired and Tired President Billy Akufo-Addo whether it is soo easy for an irascible terrorist to breach the security of your National Security Chief.
Respectfully, the attached pictorial evidence of the entry and walk about in the safe house of your Security Chief may be of interest to you in your fight against terrorism.
Section 19 of the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act 1996 (Act 526) states the functions of the National Security Coordinator to include:
Assist the relevant intelligence Agency to gather defence intelligence both internal and external and use the information to detect and prevent threats to the security of the state.
It means that the National Security Coordinator is a key person in this struggle gainst terrorists, both as a fighter of, and target of terrorists.
So, why is the National Security Coordinator so NAKED and unprotected, my respected Tired President Akufo- Addo? Why?
In 2018, my Tired President Akufo-Addo addressed the Winter meeting of the USA National Governors Association (NGA) and affirmed Ghana’s commitment to stand with the USA to fight terrorism and to promote human rights across the globe.
Further, in a recent address to the Ghanaian community in Toronto, Canada, my respected President Billy Akufo-Addo said you will equip the security agencies to deal with terrorism.
You said, “we are doing our best to provide them with minimum equipment and minimum mobility and logistical equipment especially now that we are having problems on our north east border because of the issues of Burkina Faso and the downward movement of Jihadists in West Africa.”
There have been calls for the Security Agencies to beef up security in churches and worship centres to avoid terrorist attacks.
As a Security Expert of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre observed, the current trends of terorists attacks in Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Burkina Faso raise the danger that Ghana can be a target.
Accordingly, It has become important for the country to take all precautionary measures to avert such attacks.
An urgent call goes out to all Ghanaians to participate in the fight against terrorism.
Speaking at an event organised for ushers on church security at the Holy Spirit Cathedral, a Security Analyst, Bawa Abdul Jaheel re-echoed the call on every Ghanaian to get on board.
He said, “everybody has to be involved. It is not just about us talking about terrorism. It is about how we take our personal security as our priority in our daily activities.”
Jaheel concluded with a profound piece of advice:
“As citizens, we should not be spectators but we should also be participants (in the fight against terrorism).”
As a Citizen, I propose that our National Security Chief draws on lessons from other countries on the following details:
1. Considerable attention must be focused on sharpening the capabilities of our readiness and responses to attacks from terrorists.
2. Security measures of public places for gatherings must be assessed.
3. Special counter terrorism units must be trained and continuously retrained in tactical activities.
4. Support of stakeholders and international partners must be sought in developing counter-terrorism capabilities (investigative, analytical training, exchanging operative information).
5. Prevention of the use of cyberspace for the dissemination of radical ideology (access to websites churning out radical ideology and groups registered on social media must be restricted).
But my respected President Billy Akufo-Addo made an important observation about Ghana’s readiness to fight terrorism. You said, IT IS ALL ABOUT MONEY!!!
In your address to the Ghanaian community in Toronto, Canada, on the steps you want to take to fight terrorism you observed that, “the money continues to be (a) problem but we are hoping that as the economy develops we will find more resources to deal with the problem (of terrorism).”
Respectfully, will you say it is a problem of money that leaves your National Security Coordinator unprotected and soo NAKED that any irascible terrorist can enjoy unfettered access to his residence?
I cringe!!!
I Shall Retunr (sic)
Owula Mangortey
NDC Branch Secretary
Full Gospel Church Branch
Odumase-Dodowa
Shai-Osudoku Constituency
