We’re bona fide citizens of Ghana and will remain as such – Vakpo Chief warns secessionists

The Paramount Chief of Vakpo Traditional Area, Togbega Gbogbolulu V, has asked the state to deal ruthlessly with the secessionist group seeking a breakaway of the Volta region from Ghana.

He said the people of his area are citizens of Ghana and shall remain so.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, October 2, Togbega Gbogbolulu V said: “We wish to state categorically that we have not supported any such group nor have we asked any group to fight for independence on our behalf. We are bona fide citizens of Ghana and will remain as such.

“We wish to send a strong warning to anybody or group of person who will be found within our traditional area to be engaged in any such agenda or in furtherance of the activities of this group, such people will be apprehended and swiftly handed over to the security agencies.

“While we congratulate the security agencies for stepping in to deal with the situation, we demand swift prosecution of the perpetrators of this heinous crime to send the right signals to others to desist from these nation wreckers and unpatriotic activities.”

Meanwhile, the Institute for Peace and Governance (IPEG) has also asked the government to exercise force in dealing with the rise of separatist agitations by the Western Togoland/Secessionist Group, whose activities constitute a challenge to the existence of Ghana as a state.

A statement issued and signed by Justin Bayor, Programme Director of IPEG, noted that there is most likely to be an increase in the number of such attacks from now till December 2020 and beyond.

The attacks will most probably be centered on state infrastructure/installations as well a property, with minimal deaths and injuries, he said.

“The violent activities of the secessionists will then assume dimensions to cover other parts of the country, beyond Western Togoland territory.

“We recommend that the State employs its resources to ramp-up its intelligence gathering capabilities, key to repulsing them, so as to prevent the secessionist group from reaching its projected evolvement.”