Let’s fight fraud and crime - Stephen Attipo

Stephen Attipo, a Civil Engineer has appealed to government to put up efforts that will reduce fraudulent and criminal activities in the country and avoid escalations.

“Fraud, in the end, wounds our own sense of community and makes us victims to our own suspicions. Today in Ghana, the land famous for its hospitality, it is almost an act of stupidity to give someone you do not know a lift in your car.”

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Mr Attipo said there was an urgent need to confront the matter the way an epidemic would be handled.“It is now a national disease spiralling out of control and I feel we are already in the doorway of a crises phase. It is a character problem that must be addressed from that level of appreciation and perspectives.”

Mr. Attipo, who is a Civil Engineer with specialization in urban roads said he was also a social thinker who suffered fraudulent activities before and would therefore continue to be a crusader against fraud and crime.

He attributed the high rate of fraud and crime to the erosion of traditional Ghanaian moral values among the youth in particular adding that it was a scary problem that could destroy the nation if not addressed.

Mr Attipo said vices such as robberies, bribery, ‘sakawa’ and even ritual murders were symptoms of the same problem that stemmed from a character of fraud that engulfed the national psyche.

“Traditionally, we have thought about fraud as the activities of social misfits, but it is all around us now – in our hospitals, in our schools and even in our churches. Everybody is looking for somebody to take advantage of for a quick cedi,” Mr Attipo said.

He lamented that the cumulative effect of so much fraud around could engender a culture of mistrust and make it difficult for neighbours to be of assistance to one another.

Mr. Attipo added “Many people have been mistakenly lynched because an angry mob would not even stop one minute to consider if they may be innocent – that is the end result of fraud. A fraudulent society is a mistrusting society and a mistrusting society is a murderous society”.

He called on government to devise a solution to the problem before things finally get out of hand.“I am not saying that the law enforcement agencies should start cheering and hanging out with fraudsters, but while the Police must act, we need a national programme that jolts us into realizing that we need to change our thinking. I have always said that in addition to education, we need good character, strong moral and spiritual discipline”.