Ghana’s security under siege; Akufo-Addo must make a bold statement – Irbard

Executive Director, Irbard Security Consult, Mr. Irbard Ibrahim says President Akufo-Addo should show leadership by issuing a strong statement ordering the security to act to contain the impunity of crimes being recorded lately in the country.

According to Irbard, Ghana is gradually tethering on the precipice of instability as worrying security issues and widespread insurrection being reported in parts of the country shows security is on the brink of failing in a country touted as model of democracy in the sub-region.

“We have no respect for the judiciary, People can go into a court and free people that are on trial, Police stations that should manifest as symbols of the state and our sovereignty are being vandalized, Soldier killed by a mob attack, which level of impunity is this? By international standards if we don’t take care, UN reports will place Ghana in the same league with failed or collapsing states. It is ironical that we can’t feel safe in our own country, but we contribute troops to go and support Peace Keeping missions in war torn countries,” he told host Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM.

His comments follow the ghastly lynching of an army officer by residents of Denkyira Boase in the Central region.

The residents at the behest of their Assembly member on Tuesday assaulted Captain Maxwell Mahama on suspicion of being a robber.

He was a military officer with the 5th Infantry Batallion (5BN) at Burma Camp in Accra.

Captain Mahama who is the commander of the area military detachment, according to his subordinates, was seen jogging along the main road and as he stopped by to ask some women for directions – the women saw a pistol on him.

The women who were alarmed after spotting the pistol mistook him for an armed robber thereby alerting their assembly member who allegedly organised some men to lynch him after which they burnt the body.

The women’s action is said to have been influenced by recent robbery attacks in the area with a recent one being a day before.

The military officer who was not in uniform when the incident happened is said to have pleaded with the mob not to lynch him indicating he was an army officer and not a criminal, but his plea was not taken by the mob who hit him with several objects including cement blocks .

The Public Relations officer of the Ghana Armed Forces Colonel Aggrey Quashie said Tuesday that a fact-finding delegation has been sent to the area led by the Chief of Army Staff to ascertain circumstances leading to the heinous murder of captain Mahama.

But Irbard feels stories emerging from Ghanaian online portals are portraying Ghana as a lawless state to the rest of the World in recent times.

A statement released by the Security Expert early on said: “Indeed, the repeated attacks on our men and women in uniform, police posts, the Judiciary etc chips away at our status as a country that upholds rule of law and the respect of symbols of the State.

“I console with the Army and the family of the deceased at such a trying moment and contend that this is another test case for our restraint and human rights credentials as a country, to prove to the international community.”