Stop The Fear-Mongering Now!

Ghana, our peaceful and beloved nation, has suddenly become the target for

terrorism; or, so the naysayers claim. Since the Al-Shabab attack at the

Westgate mall in Kenya which claimed over sixty lives, we've had warnings

from the British government and certain prominent individuals in Kenya

about looming terrorist attacks in Ghana. Even the controversial Nigerian

Prophet, T.B. Joshua, whose apparent obsession with matters concerning

Ghanaians is no secret, has predicted terrorist attacks in two West African

countries. It's obvious that this Nigerian Prophet who deems it fitting to

juggle with the minds of the gullible ones in Ghana was referring to our

beloved country and probably his native Nigeria. Without question, these

are truly dangerous times and there should be no room for complacency when

it comes to the potential for terrorist strikes. But, why Ghana?

The last time I checked, Ghanaians were a peace-loving people who were

still in the process of dissecting the pros and cons of an eight-month-long

election petition. What changed in this country after the Kenyan Al-Shabab

attacks to lead to the sudden finger-pointing to Ghana as the next target

for terrorist attacks? I f, according to the British government, Ghana's

deployment of 120 troops to Mali accounts for the warning of an impending

terrorist attack, how about the other African countries who also have

troops in Mali? Why is Ghana the main target on the terrorists' radar and

not the other participating countries? In any case, a clear distinction

must be made with regards to the respective roles played by Ghana and

Kenya. in Mali and Somalia. While thousands of Kenyan soldiers were

recently engaged in joint operations with Somali forces to fight Al-Shabab

militants and smash their strongholds, the 120 Ghanaian soldiers in Mali

are primarily there to help restore order to the area after the

French-backed Malian troops fought and defeated Islamic militants.

it's as if these warnings and prophesies are mischievous attempts to draw

the attention of terrorists to Ghana. It's one thing to sound a general

note of caution to all African countries to tighten security measures in

light of the massacre in Kenya - however, it's another thing to single out

one country and create unnecessary panic by warning of an "impending"

attack. That to me, is totally preposterous and must not be tolerated by

peace-loving Ghanaians! Perhaps TB Joshua would serve his purpose better

by predicting imminent Boko Haram bloodbaths in his country instead of

focusing on the fate of Ghanaians. His so-called prediction of terror

strikes on the legislatures of two West African countries has thrown

Ghanaian MP's into a state of panic. Can you blame them? The imminence of

death is not exactly a laughing matter. Like a friend once said, many

people want to be assured of a place in Heaven in the life hereafter, but

none of them is prepared to die.

The threat of terrorism is real and must not be discounted by any country.

However, that does not necessarily mean that any country must entertain

such reckless warnings which have the potential of drawing the attention of

these mass murderers to a relatively peaceful country. Folks, let's not

forget that these terrorists have eyes and ears; in essence, the continuous

warnings to Ghana about imminent strikes is like throwing a challenge to

these killers!. Since when did the name of our country, Ghana, become

synonymous with terrorism? This is not an attempt to plead with Islamic

militants in Mali not to attack us but my point is, why provoke them with

these warnings about looming attacks? These are people who do not care who

they kill, how many people they kill or where they kill, so please, much as

we appreciate the need to be vigilant in these dangerous times, Ghanaians

must condemn the attempt by certain countries and individuals to place them

on the deadly radars of terrorists.

President Mahama and his Ministers of State must also be cautioned not to

open their mouths too wide when commenting on Ghana's stance on terrorism

in Africa. The Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations is on

record as having recently said among other things that: "Ghana is

constantly on the alert to thwart any security threat from terrorist

groups." Folks, it's a good thing to take preventive measures by being on

constant alert - however, there's only so much the country's security

agencies can do when it comes to terrorist threats and attacks. That is

why I would like to advise those at the helm of affairs to tread carefully

and refrain from making unguarded statements which could potentially be

counter productive. Reports of anti-terrorist training by police personnel

is encouraging; but, again, this is by no means a development that can

prevent or discourage these hardcore murderers from striking.. Extra

vigilance from all Ghanaians is also crucial. If British Intelligence

Agencies have any classified information about potential terrorist attacks,

why don't they share it with their Ghanaian counterparts? Enough of the

fear-mongering! We do not want to live in an atmosphere of fear and

uncertainty, which is one of the objectives of terrorism. God bless Mother

Ghana!

Prince Akyeampong, e-mail: desavagist@gmail.com