‘Containment is not prevention’ – National Security boss outlines 18-month masterplan to stop political violence

National Security Coordinator, COP Osman Abdul-Razak

Ghana’s National Security Coordinator, COP Osman Abdul-Razak, has called for a radical shift in the country's approach to electoral peace, warning that state security agencies must begin anti-vigilantism operations 12 to 18 months before election day rather than managing crisis containment during political rallies.

Speaking at the National Policy Dialogue on the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999) organised by Election Watch Ghana at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), COP Razak emphasised that recruitment into political militias and informal task forces begins long before campaign banners go up.

COP Razak stated by the time campaign rallies are underway in earnest, we are managing containment rather than genuine prevention. Our early-warning mechanisms should never be switched off. They must remain active throughout the electoral cycle to identify potential threats before they escalate into national security crises.

To tackle political violence at its root, the National Security Coordinator proposed a structured 18-month preventive roadmap:

• 12 to 18 Months Out: Intelligence mapping of hotspots and early stakeholder engagement.

• 9 to 12 Months Out: Intensive youth engagement and non-partisan civic education.

• 6 Months Out: Heightened monitoring of political mobilisation, logistics tracking, and joint security simulations.

• Campaign & Election Period: Target-specific preventive operations, rapid-response deployments, and active protection of democratic spaces.

COP Razak stressed that while preventive measures will be firm and proactive, state agencies will strictly adhere to constitutional rights and the presumption of innocence.