Solving the Ongoing Armed Robbery Menace in Ghana is Easy if Onlythe President will Heed Sound Advice

I cannot be 100% certain to assert that I have somehow communicated the strategy for solving the near-chronic armed robberies in Ghana to His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. However, I can claim with certainty to have published it online sometime ago.

Let the President be aware of the sayings, “grey hair is not a repository of wisdom” or “old age is not an indication of wisdom”. Additionally, “it does not belong to he who is leading to redirect their steps”. I have said these time and again when I convey my convinced strategies for solving certain issues of greater national concern to the President. While he may adhere to some as advised, others seem to fall on deaf ears.

How do I take pride in being a Ghanaian, let alone, one overflowing with wisdom should I fail to introduce the good things I learn abroad to my nation? As I always keep saying, I should not be in power or in a high position to be able and capable of helping my people and nation. It only suffices to convey any such noble ideas to the attention of those who are in positions of power to implement them hence the haste with which I publish my views and convey my strategies to those constitutionally bestowed with power to implement them.

Let it be known to the President and his cronies as well as the NPP hierarchy that no matter how best the President and the party realise their promises made to Ghanaians, if they are unable to deal with the alarming escalation of armed robberies in Ghana, all their efforts will be in vain. The steadily increasing ongoing insecurity in the nation is more than enough to pale away all the good achievements by the President.

What is the use of a bar of soap to a hungry dog? A hungry dog will rather prefer a bone to a piece of soap. This goes to confirm that irrespective of any useful national developments the president embarks on, if the people feel insecure about their lives, knowing they can be attacked and killed by armed robbers at any day any time, they will prefer a government that will guarantee them safety and protection to the one that will be loose and clueless about ensuring their safety and protection. This is common sense. However, common sense is common but not common to everyone. What is a common sense to one may be a herculean strategic issue to the other.

Ghana is now facing an unprecedented armed robbery issue. It is becoming unique under the government of the current NPP administration headed by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. The only effective antidote to cripple the menace is the following. Call out the soldiers from their barracks in their numbers into the streets and towns to help trap and fight to eliminate the armed robbers once and for all. The police are overwhelmed by the spate of the ongoing armed robberies. Some of the policemen are themselves caught to be involved in armed robberies. Therefore, the next alternative is to bring out the military for only a three-month operation code-named “Operation Blitz Armed Robbery”

Let me reproduce a portion of my published open letter to the Inspector General Of Police Mr David Asante-Apeatu on Ghanaweb and Modernghana under their Feature Article of Sunday, 30 July 2017 titled, “Open letter to the Inspector General of Police” and under the web link,

https://www.ghanaweb.com//GhanaHomePage/features/Open-letter-to-the-Inspector-General-of-Police-564293

“Secondly, let the IGP focus a minute on what used to go on in France some years back. Whenever the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), the supposedly Algerian terrorist group started throwing bombs in Paris or France in the 1980s and 1990s, the French government would order the soldiers out of their barracks to assist the police. For brief periods of three months at a time whenever there was escalation in bomb throwing or terrorist activities on the French soil, the soldiers would come out in their numbers to give support to the police to deter or stop the acts of terrorism.

In those days, the soldiers would be assigned to the police and placed under their command. Wherever you saw two or three policemen, there would be about six to ten heavily armed soldiers. Anyone they suspected would be confronted or approached and searched in the open public for all to see. Their presence and conduct were more than enough to frighten the shit out of people hence in less than three months the situation would revert to normalcy and the soldiers gone back to their barracks. The soldiers in such operations took instructions from the police.

With the ongoing scary armed robberies and other types of thievery, why can’t the IGP suggest to the President for Ghana to emulate the French in the 1980s and 90s? Once the soldiers are placed under the command of the police personnel they will be assigned to, and go out with, it will be more than enough to reassure the citizenry that we are still under a civilian rule but not a military regime. Trust me, within three months should my suggestion be taken if found worthy to the IGP and the President, the armed robberies will be drastically curtailed if not completely stopped to become a thing of the past.

Merci beaucoup Monsieur Inspecteur Général de Police,

Aurevoir”.
Again on 7 May 2017 under the Feature Article on Modernghana, I published an article headlined, “Blitzing The Ramified Armed Robbery Must Be The Government’s Priority”. The full content of the publication can be found in the web link below.

https://www.modernghana.com/news/773577/blitzing-the-ramified-armed-robbery-must-be-the-governments.html

If I should search further back, I can find further publications on the internet forum or otherwise, as conveyed to the attention of the President on the armed robbery menace.

Should the President heed my strategic admonitions which are always made in good faith, his presidency will last longer and be unmatched in the history of Ghana but should he fail to listen to sound advice, then he should have himself to blame. My predictions come to pass no matter how long they take. As recently as Wednesday, 31 January 2018, I had a revelation which I have taken the first step according as directed. I have passed it on to the person concerned.

For how long will the President not sift the strategic advice given to him to decide either to act on them or not? Never will I ill-advise the President or else, I would not see and address him as the similitude of biblical Joseph, Moses or David. I shall not do anything to undermine him but shall always tell him the truth as it should.

Public readers, judge for yourself since when I advised the President and the IGP to follow the French example to deal a deadly blow to the armed robbers but they refused until it has now become a very serious national concern. If the armed robbery menace is let unresolved, it has the potency to bring down NPP in any future general elections regardless of any good achievements the President might have chalked by then.

I read on Ghanaweb about a Ghanaian Security Expert, Dr Kwesi Aning, arguing against any calls for the Military to be redeployed to fight against armed robbery in the country which is on the increase in recent times”. It is under their General News of Thursday, 1 March 2018, and titled, “Deploying Military to fight armed robbery dangerous – Dr. Aning” and under the web link:

https://www.ghanaweb.com//GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Deploying-Military-to-fight-armed-robbery-dangerous-Dr-Aning-630458

I have no respect for such a security expert. I don’t know where he had his studies on security matters and conflict resolutions. Should such a person be an advisor to the President on security matters as Mr Albert Kan Dapaa is, the President will just fail for him and his NPP government and party only to be shown the exit from power in 2020.

I have resided abroad among the Whites for nearly four decades and learnt a lot. I can draw on practical experience, evidence as well as on theoretical studies when advising the President.

I hope I am done. Lest I forget, I still do advise the President to beware the 6^th of March 2018 if he has not yet taken the necessary precautions. Julius Caesar was warned by Spurinna, the soothsayer, to. 'Beware the Ides of March'. The soothsayer’s message to Julius Caesar was warning of his death. He failed to heed the message or failed to take the necessary precautions hence was murdered on the night of 15 March by sixty conspirators including his confidante Brutus hence Antonio saying, “Et tu, Brute meaning “And you Brutus? “

A word to the wise is enough.
Rockson Adofo