Terrorist attacks: Churches should not rely on state security for protection – Analyst

A security analyst Emmanuel Kutin, has advised churches to take their security into their own hands instead of relying on state security apparatus.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 Midday Live following the terrorist attack in neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mr. Kutin who is the Executive Director of African Centre for Security and Counter-Terrorism, observed that the state security would usually react rather than take steps to prevent such attacks.

“I think the churches should take their own destiny into their own hands. If you want to rely on the state security, we can only react instead of prevent it,” he admonished.

Mr. Kutin, however, advocated for a cooperation between churches and state in dealing with security issues in the country.

Gunmen on motorcycle stormed a Catholic church in central Burkina Faso on Sunday, killing the priest and five other men and later set the church on fire, Burkina Faso’s state agency reported.

There have been three terrorist attacks on churches in Burkina Faso in the past five weeks raising concern about Ghana’s proximity to Burkina Faso and the likelihood for it to be a target.

International media are reporting these incidents were linked to local affiliate of Al Qaeda and ISIS.

Emmanuel Kutin is further calling for cooperation between the national security and the churches to ensure the safety of members, adding that the churches “need to also make use of technology; the scanners, get CCTV in a particular radius and get a control room such that people can monitor whatever is going on along the church premises 24/7”

President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches, Rev Prof Paul Frimpong-Manso, called churches to take the issue of security upon prayers.

He admonished, “In the meantime, my advice is that all churches should take it as a matter of prayer because our security council comes from the Lord.

“The word of God says that unless the Lord build a house, in vain labour that builds it; unless the Lord watches over the city the watchman and wakes up in vain.

“Nevertheless, we need to educate our people especially when a strange person comes into our midst. Or when we see someone with a different behaviour.”