BNI officials now errand boys for DCEs – Saani Adib

Security Expert, Saani Adib has slammed some officers of Ghana’s Intelligence Agency, the Bureau of National Investigations(BNI) for lowering themselves into errand boys for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives(MMDCEs).

According to him, many BNI Officers have deviated from their core mandate and have taken upon themselves unrelated tasks that affect their ability to effectively gather intelligence.

“Many of our BNI operatives have reduced the work of intelligence gathering to following DCEs holding their phones and going to durbars. Sometimes at a public event you hear the MC introducing the BNI Officer for that area and surprisingly the officer gets up from his seat and waves at the public and receives applause. That is not your job, you’re not a bodyguard to the MMDCEs. You don’t hold his phone following him around, you have work to do,” Sani Adib told host Kwaku Owusu Adjei(Patoo) on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM.

He added “Mostly they have to work overtly but unfortunately in this country, almost every BNI officer is known in the area he resides or operates. In some case, BNI officers are targeted, National Security operatives are targeted especially in areas that have chieftaincy issues, including the Savannah Region where recently National Security officers were targeted. This is a major source of worry as a country.”

Saani Adib made the comments in his critique of the BNI for doing a poor job in gathering intelligence on some arrested rebels in Dodze who are part of the secessionist Homeland Study Group Foundation(HSGF).

Monday’s special military operation conducted by officers of the 66 Artillery Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces(GAF) rounded up 20 recruits undergoing military training in a remote location 10km north of the Volta Regional town of Dodze along Ghana’s border with Togo.