State Of Insecurity In Ghana: Minister Of Interior Et Al Must Resign Immediately

Ghanaians, myself included, have worryingly taken note of the state of insecurity in the country which has resulted in extreme fear and panic amongst citizens who have an inalienable right to security. The failure therefore by those in charge of ensuring this basic right is unpardonable and so the Minister of Interior, the Minister of National Security, the National Security Coordinator and the Inspector General of Police must all resign with immediate effect to pave way for fresh persons with fresh ideas to handle the alarming rate of insecurity.

Crime is not peculiar to the current administration but the current level where armed robbers are able to attack people in broad daylight is clearly a new phenomenon and so far, those in charge have proven to have very limited capacity to deal with this menace. This has necessitated the call for a drastic change to allow for a realistic approach to curbing this canker before it escalates.

The current spate of attacks and armed robberies have left many citizens living in fear and investors alike. In an era where we seek to boost investor confidence, such an unprecedentedly alarming rate of armed robbery and attacks has the potential of making nonsense of any such calls for investment in our economy. The government must act NOW to ensure the safety and security of all manner of people living in the country.

The NPP government in it's manifesto on page 147 of Chapter 14 promised that 'The NPP Government will secure peace and security for all Ghanaians. Under the NPP Government, Ghanaians will feel safe on the streets and in their homes. Ghanaians will go about their daily business in the secure knowledge that their persons, properties and lives are safe under an NPP Government.' Having failed to do so after over one (1) year, one of the immediate steps is for the those in charge to immediately resign voluntarily or be forced out by the President to ensure that people are made to account for the authority vested in them.

Also, the Police Visibility and Accessibility Unit which was renamed the National Patrol Department had been doing a great job over the years especially with regards to Visibility. This is however not the case currently as the only times you will see police visibility is when driving late in the night on our highways. This is very unacceptable for a service that is so essential to all facets of our lives and the lack of visibility by the security agencies has emboldened some of these criminals to carry out their nefarious activities even in broad daylight.

In defense of this abysmal and shambolic display of ineptitude in terms of security under this administration, lack of logistics has been conveniently used as an excuse. This is disingenuous and shows a weak appreciation of the real issues affecting the safety and security of the citizen. What would be the use of grass to a dog? Our current security challenges go beyond mere logistics and the earlier steps are taken to tackle this head-on, the better it will be for us all.

So far, the Police Council headed by the Vice President has proven beyond every reasonable doubt that they are incapable of providing proper policy and vision. Respectfully, our vice president and his Police Council are 'sleeping' on the job! Is it not scary that residents of Upper West Region have been living in fear of moving about after 9pm for fear of their motorbikes and vehicles being snatched at gunpoint and yet there is no clear-cut direction at averting this menace? Residents of Oyibi are faced with harsher realities as their community has recorded over 16 cases of armed attacks over the space of two (2) months. Clearly, heads must roll and it must be done immediately!

Whatever must be done to ensure the safety and security of Ghanaians must be done. I therefore reiterate the call for those in charge of the portfolios listed in the first paragraph to humbly resign to pave way for the President to appoint more competent hands. In this regard, the President must as a matter of urgency relieve them of their duties as soon as practicable if they fail to honourably resign.

By this call, I am also serving notice of the possibility of a court action to compel the President to fulfill his constitutional obligations to enable Ghanaians live peacefully and enjoy our inviolable rights under Chapter 5: articles 12, 13,14, 15, 18 and 21(g) of the 1992 constitution.

God Bless our homeland Ghana.
Signed
Sawadogo Alhaji Mahmoud
[email protected]