President Mahama’s Intervention In The Terrorism Alert, Is Timely

President John Dramani Mahama was reported in the Ghanaian media yesterday to have pummeled the National Security Council for what he described as the unfortunate release of a terror alert in the country.

According to the report, President Mahama took the opportunity to urge Ghanaians not to panic over the alert, saying it was unnecessary for the security agencies to allow such delicate information to leak into the public domain.

In an interview with GBC's Sunrise FM, Thursday, President Mahama posited; “I think that we must deal with this without creating panic amongst our people and that is why the stories we read in the papers today are most unfortunate.”

Continuing, he assured Ghanaians that the nation's security agencies were well placed to deal with any form of threat and urged the people to be alert and report any form of suspicious behaviour to the security agencies.

“We are preparing for any such eventuality but we need the alertness of the public…The public needs to be more alert today than before, if you see any strange person, any strange movement, you just need to report to the security services,” President Mahama stressed.

To assuage the fears, which is fast gripping the people, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS),  explained that the latest terror alert statement emphasizing potential attacks on Ghana by terrorists, was not intended for the public. Francis Palmdeti, a spokesperson of the GIS said the alert was meant for the internal use of personnel of the various security agencies.

Indeed, the alert, which leaked into the media, has confirmed that terrorists are planning an attack on Ghana apparently to defuse the notion that only francophone countries were susceptible to terrorist attacks.

Portions of the leaked document read: “Intelligence gathered by the National Security Council (NSCS), indicates a possible terrorist attack on the country is real.” The alert, further stated that terrorists enter a country by concealing their explosives and other weapons.

“They enter through approved and unapproved entry points. In the Ivorian attacks, they reportedly entered from Mali using a Nigerean register 4×4 vehicle. They reportedly concealed their weapons and grenade in the vehicles compartment for spare tyres, padded with cushions and bubble wraps to keep them stable and to prevent noise”.

Mr. Palmdeti told Starr FM's Nii Arday Clegg Thursday that the Immigration Service is unhappy about the way the alert has been handled by the media. “I'm not here to confirm or deny what is supposed to be in that alert. I was told it started on social media and later found its way into the mainstream media.

“That alert is an intended memo that has not been approved for public consumption. It is essentially for the usage of the security agencies and so we are not excited about the interpretations that have been put to it,” he stated. The Chronicle believes that President Mahama has hit the nail right on the head by pummeling the National Security for allowing such dainty information to leak into the media.

We are of the opinion that the Presidential intervention was timely and appropriate, judging from the heightened concern the alert has generated in society. The Presidential admonition would go a long way to calm down nerves in a nervy society.

The Chronicle, however, wishes to stress that as the father of the nation, it is his responsibility to ensure that anytime members of his administration put up behaviors that have the tendency to call his ability to manage the economy into question, he would act spontaneously.

On a number of occasions, some of his operatives, especially, Special Aide Stan Dogbe had incurred the wrath of the Ghanaian people and had expected head of state to comment on it, but to no avail. This is why The Chronicle wishes to commend the President for chastising the National Security for the leakage of the terror alert, and also encourage him to be bold at all time to criticize members of his administration when they go wrong.