What A National Disgrace?

On June 4, 2013, the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) issued a statement announcing the arrest in the United States of Mr. Solomon Adelaquaye, Managing Director of Sohin Security Services Limited, the company in charge of security at our premier airport, Kotoka International.

According to the NACOB statement, Adelaquaye and three others - two Nigerians and a Colombian - were members of an international drug trafficking syndicate, who have been under the joint surveillance of NACOB and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the Department of Justice of the United States for about a year.

The drug quartet has since been charged to court in the US, and could earn themselves life imprisonment when convicted.

The issue has since been politicised with the two major parties – NPP and the NDC – hurling accusations and counter-accusations at each other.

Fortunately, amidst the cacophony, both parties agree on the need to probe the issue. The NPP General Secretary, who first made the call, said we need to find out how Sohin Security got the contract in the first lace, when indications are that it has no track record in that sub-sector.

The NDC National Organiser, in backing the call for a probe, urged President John Mahama to set up a body to investigate the mystery surrounding the award of the KIA security contract to promote the interest of Ghanaians.

The Chronicle wholeheartedly supports the call for a probe into the award of the contract for security at KIA. The incident is a big dent on the image of Ghana. It is not some wretched staff of Sohin Security trying to make ends meet that is involved in the cocaine bust up, but the Chief Executive of the company himself.

We would go further to suggest that the investigative panel should also interrogate why a private outfit should be in-charge of security at the airport, and why not a national agency?

We have marine police, railways police, why not airport police. In this our Ghana, there is no private security organisation which would give its staff better training than what our policemen get.

In the days before the proliferation of state security agencies, it was the Special Branch of the police which handled security at our entry points, if we are not mistaken.

There is also NACOB. It could be turned into a para-military organisation to man security at the airport. The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority does not hire private security in its operations, but takes charge of its own security.

The people been drafted to the airport since President Mahama ordered the suspension of the services of Sohin, who are they? Why did we not send them there before now?

The probe should also investigate the licensing procedure for private security organisations. Under the present arrangement, the only difficulty most promoters face to register a security company is how to get a senior military or police officer on the board.

The Chronicle recommends that additionally, there should be deep and extensive background checks on the major civilian promoters in the proposed private security company to make sure we know where they are coming from.

It is time we nipped in the bud these avoidable stains on our national image. And there is no better time than now!