The tough issues likely to come up in National Security Minister’s vetting

When the list for the ministerial nominees was released by the presidency, one of the names that raised eyebrows was that of Albert Kan-Dapaah.

To some people, the National Security has for the past four years earned a reputation of being an outfit used to carry out covert operations by the government.

Also, the handling of certain security issues has led to the perception that Albert Kan-Dapaah in not fit to occupy that position.

As a matter of fact, there is a petition by a group of Civil Society Organizations before the Speaker of Parliament and the Appointment Committee to reject his appointment.

Kan-Dapaah is infamous for the leaked video that captured him having some ‘interesting’ conversations with a lady rumored to be his girlfriend but it is unlikely that it will feature prominently in his vetting.

Here are five topic GhanaWeb thinks are likely to come up during his vetting

Recent armed robbery attacks

There is growing sense of insecurity in the country with more than a dozen robbery activities being reported in the last few weeks.

The murder of the MP for Mfantseman and robbery of an ambulance which resulted in the death of the driver has heightened fears and concerns about the lax in Ghana’s security.

There is a justifiable reason for us to believe that when Kan-Dapaah meets the Appointment Committee to prove why he deserves to be entrusted with the position of National Security Minister, this question issue will be asked.

Volta Secessionist Groups

The three groups advocating for the separation of the Volta Region from the country recorded their biggest gain so far last year when they successfully attacked two police stations and blocked the entrance to the region.

The groups’ ability to outwit the state security system to stage what was described by Kan-Dapaah himself as an act of terrorism was seen by security experts as a grave failure on the part of the state security.

Security analysts including Adam Bonaa called for the resignation or dismissal of the Defence and National Security Ministers.

It has been some five months and calm appears to have been restored in the Volta Region but it remains to be seen if the country has effectively dealt with the situation.

Kan-Dapaah will be the second nominee to face the committee so there is the chance that he will be asked on progress made by the country to stamp out these ‘terrorists’.

Election violence

Though not widespread, violence was witnessed in the 2020 general elections.

Five people were confirmed to have died from election-related violence in various parts of the country.

The accusation from the NDC is that these happenings were caused by personnel from the National Security and Ghana Armed Forces.

With the NDC having same representation as the NPP on the committee, expect them to go down this line and push for more answers from Kan-Dapaah.

Unresolved murders

From the murder of the JB Danquah-Adu to Ahmed Suale to the Mfantseman MP, there exists a number of high-profile murder cases which till date remain unresolved.

While the crime rate in the country looks to be soaring, the police and relevant authorities have done little to assure the public that they in control with respect to arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of such crimes.

Kan-Dapaah will certainly give updates on the general security situation in the country and some of the murder cases will be probed by the MPs.

Invasion of Parliament by soldiers

The invasion of parliament by some officers of the Ghana Armed Forces was described as act of treason by Sam George.

According to him, it was a direct attack on the legislative arm of government and that they were going to ensure that whoever sanctioned the soldiers was punished.

When the NDC MPs face Kan-Dapaah he will most likely be asked about it. As they say, time will tell.