What peace, Mr. Mark Woyongo?

Mark Owen Woyongo, Ghana's Minister of the Interior, is reported to have said that,

"every community should have its full complement of policemen and women to ensure that Ghanaians continue to live in peace."

(Source: Daily Guide/www.ghanaweb.com 27 August 2014)

The police presence is laudable but what peace, Mr. Minister, are you talking about? Please consider the following and tell us (Ghanaians) what peace you were referring to.

1. Seikwa Chief, Nana Gyimah Ankoana, has been assassinated in the Tain Municipality of the Brong Ahafo Region.

XYZ News gathers that Nana Ankoana was shot around 8pm on Monday while he relaxed at home.

(Source: radioxyzonline.com 5 November 2013).

2. Female teacher 'beaten' to death in Ashanti Region

A female teacher is reported dead after allegedly being assaulted by relatives of a pupil she had punished for wrong doing at Asuafu, near Nsuta in the Ashanti Region.

(Source: myjoyonline.com/www.ghanaweb.com 26 September, 2013.)

3. Mob beat policeman for enforcing law

A group of civilians in a mob-like fashion on Tuesday afternoon severely beat up a policeman, who tried to arrest a motor rider for nearly knocking down his colleague.

(Source: GNA/www.ghanaweb.com 27 November, 2013)

4. Soldier batters woman

An unidentified military officer battered a 32-year-old woman for attempting to catch a glimpse of a commercial driver, who was arrested by a service man at Kejetia Terminal in Kumasi on Saturday.

(Source: Daily Guide 12 December 2013)

5. "I was contracted to kill 32-year-old banker - suspect confesses"

A 25-year-old man held by police over the murder of a 32-year-old banker at Baatsonaa, a suburb of the capital, Accra says he was contracted to kill Rosemond Akosua Nyampong.

Source: myjoyonline.com 12 December, 2013

6. Teacher beaten, stripped by pupil's irate family

The Goaso magistrate court will this afternoon hear an assault case involving a primary school teacher and some residents of the town.

Source: radioxyzonline.com/www.ghanaweb.com 25 March 2014

7. Small scale miner killed in violent gun attack in Ashanti Region

Unidentified gunmen have shot dead a small scale miner at Atwima-Techiman near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, Monday evening.

The deceased, identified only as Frimpong (aka Honourable) was shot many times by about five AK 47-wielding men at the entrance of his private residence.

Source: /www.myjoyonline.com 25-03-2014

8. Police to get brutal with landguards

The Police Service say it is up to speed with activities of landguards in the country and are in the position to deal ruthlessly with them.

In Accra , these landguards mostly operate in developing areas like Kuntunse, Ofankor, Asofan and Amasaman.

a. In December 2013, a group of land guards shot and killed a-26-year-old worker of Sally properties, Sulley Amartey.

b. A landowner at Kwabenya, Ayittey Okaija, had his hand chopped off by landguards as he attempted driving away some encroachers on his land.

c. Just last week, over twenty landowners at Kuntunse petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over allegations that the CEO of KOANS Estates Limited, Kofi Anokye has for years, terrorized them with landguards.

d. Just last Saturday, one person died and three others left severely injured after a landguard shooting incident within the Adentan municipality.

Source: myjoyonline.com 30 April, 2014

9. A 43-year old farmer has been killed at Bablisuglo, a farming community near Nakpanduri in the Northern Region and his body dismembered by his assailants.

Last Wednesday's incident comes almost three weeks after a similar murder of a 40-year old farmer, Yakubu Laari by some faceless assailants at Sokogu in the East Mamprusi district of the Northern Region. Police

Source: Graphic Online/www.modernghana.com

The list above constitutes a negligible fraction of what is happening in Ghana today.

Now let's hear what the experts are saying regarding peace in Ghana

1. Expert warns of looming armed conflict.

A Small Arms and Light Weapons expert says there are too many illegal weapons in private hands in Ghana, which poses a threat to the country’s peace and a potential for armed conflict.

The expert warned that the danger associated with too many illegal weapons in private hands is that the day Ghana fails to successfully manage issues such as election disputes, disagreement over natural resource ownership and chieftaincy succession issues, armed conflict will explode.

John Pokoo, Programme Co-coordinator, Regional Small Arms and Light Weapons Training Programme at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center, disclosed this toThe Finder in an exclusive interview.

Source: The Finder/www.ghanaweb.com

2. Prof Asante calls for national unity

The Ashanti Regional Peace Council has been inaugurated with a call to council members to show strong commitment towards helping to strengthen national unity and cohesion.

The Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel K. Asante, Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), ..................made reference to the findings of a recent study it conducted together with the University of Cape Coast (UCC), and said, Ghana has “all the visible factors” which had fuelled conflicts elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, citing political, chieftaincy, land and ethnic disputes.

Source: GNA/www.ghanaweb.com 2 September 2014

As a Communication Consultant, I know that peace means "freedom from war; law and order"

(New Webster's Dictionary). Another meaning is "wholeness and prosperity".

Are the thirteen (13) above-listed incidences what you (Woyongo) call "law and order" and "wholeness and prosperity"?

As I stated earlier, the list constitutes a negligible fraction of what is happening in Ghana today.

What peace then, Mr. Mark Woyongo?