National Security has been undemocratic under Akufo-Addo – Security Expert

President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Institute for Security, Disaster and Emergency Studies, Dr Ishmael Norman, has said that although President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he is governing with the rule of law, state institutions like the national security, do not operate democratically.

He told Dzifa Bampoh in an interview on the Foirst Take on 3FM Friday May 14 that the national security does not operate with the rule of law in the way and manner they handle civilians in the country.

He attributed this to low level of training for persons who are freshly recruited into the security service.

Dr Norman was contributing to a discussion on the Rambo-style that national security operatives manhandled two journalists with Accra-based Citi FM on Tuesday, May 11.

Information Minister visits Citi FM after assault on its journalists May 14, 2021 GJA Prez apologises over Caleb Kudah comments May 14, 2021 He told Dzifa that “Every National security institution has a bit of a challenge. Not every operative of a national security entity is actually a professional policeman or woman that has been seconded or recruited into the group

“Sometimes civilians on the streets are also recruited to become national security operatives, undercover workings. So in terms of the calibre of the people, they have the freedom to recruit whoever they think will be useful to them.

“The fact is that after you do that you have to train them with the ethics of policing, with duty and responsibility, use of force. This country does not even have a use of force paradigm for interrogation.

“The Police don’t have, the Military doesn’t have, and the National security doesn’t have it. If they have it they should bring it out and shame me. I know they don’t have it.

“They have protocols, they statement about what you do when you are faced with certain confrontations in defence for yourself, others and for the nation. But how do you actually apply and how do you escalate, deescalate and? They don’t have any protocol on that.”

He added “So I think the training is far behind what the nation should be at this point. We are a nation of rule of law.

“Nana Akufo-Addo the president keeps reminding that his government is a government of rule of law but when it comes to the operationalisation of the activity of certain entities like the national security we do not often see the rule of law playing out in the streets and the walkabouts of the people.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Security says it takes with all seriousness claims made by Citi FM journalist Caleb Kudah that he was manhandled during interrogation on Tuesday, May 11.

“The Ministry has therefore initiated investigations into the said allegations,” the Ministry said in a statement issued on Thursday, May 13 by Chief Director Lieutenant Colonel (rtd) Ababio Serebour.

Caleb Kudah was arrested on Tuesday while filming within the National Security premises

Mr Kudah himself, narrating the incident on Citi FM on Wednesday, May 12 after he was released from detention, said he was shoved and even slapped by the operatives.

“I was trying to appeal to [the National Security operatives] that they had beaten me enough, but they were just slapping me from the back. I’ll be talking to another one and someone will just come and slap me from the back.”

Watch a discussion on the arrest of Caleb Kudah from the 12th minute of the video below