Citizens should be assured of the highest level of protection from piracy and terrorist attacks, according to the government.
This was one of the main topics discussed at the recent cabinet retreat, which was attended by top government officials, including President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah while addressing the press on Sunday said the government has already put in place measures such as beefing up security at the country’s borders to forestall such occurrences.
The minister said government had taken note of the rising incidents of kidnapping, terrorism and piracy in the West African sub-region, with neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast being victims.
“If you have followed what is going on in the West African sub-region, the incidents of terrorism and piracy are on the increase [in the] south, which means [such activities are] closer to our borders here in the Republic of Ghana. The government will wish to assure citizens that it will continue to take all appropriate measures to ensure that Ghana is protected. In the last few months, countries that share borders with Ghana including Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire have experienced a series of terrorist attacks and there is now evidence that at least one Ghanaian [has been] confirmed to have been recruited by some of these terrorist groups to participate in their activities,” he said.
The Minister urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to security authorities for action.
“We request of the citizenry to be aware and to draw the attention of the security agencies to any activities going on that they may find abnormal,” he added.
The issue of terrorism in the sub-region has been top of the agenda in recent ECOWAS meetings, chaired by Ghana’s Nana Akufo-Addo.
President Akufo-Addo during a visit to Burkina Faso in June 2021 remarked that “the fight against terrorism must be a collective one, and, as such, it is incumbent on ECOWAS to pull together and assist countries, such as Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali that are at the frontline of the battle against terrorism and violent extremism, to win the fight.”
He described reports of terrorism in the sub-region as troubling and must be addressed at the 59th ECOWAS summit in Accra.
source: citinewsroom
