Ghana’s porous borders fingered as cause of crimes by foreigners

Governance expert Dr. Eric Oduro Osae says Ghana’s inability to ensure that there is strict security at its border posts makes room for criminals to easily get into the country.

According to him, the rate at which some foreign nationals are involved in criminal activities in the country is alarming.

Dr. Oduro Osae made this observation on TV3‘s The Key Points on Saturday on discussions following the arrest of some three Nigerians who are suspected to have been involved in kidnapping two Canadian girls who were later rescued by security forces.

Addressing the issue, Dr. Oduro Osae underscored the need for stringent measures in ensuring that security at various border posts is stronger than what currently exists.

“If we really want to catch up with what is happening [in the developed world], we have to be ahead of the criminals. My personal view is that we have opened our borders too wide. I think it is about time we managed our borders and system. Globalization is good, ECOWAS is good, but not to the disadvantage of the country.”

He added that citizens also ought to be sensitized and encouraged to give timely information to security agencies when issues of crime occur.

“It is about time we strengthened the relationship between citizens, security agencies and government. Security agencies thrive on information. The average Ghanaian is not security conscious.”

Dr. Oduro Osae also stressed on the need for informants to be protected by security agencies in instances where people volunteer information for perpetrators of a particular crime to be brought to book.

This, he said, will go a long way to encourage more people to aid the security agencies in dealing with crime.

“Protect informants. Ghanaians want assurance; that if we give you the information, you protect my identity,” he explained.

In order for issues of crime to be properly dealt with for desired results, the governance expert further said security agencies ought to be better equipped to be ahead of criminals at all times.

Ghanaians ‘aiding’ foreign criminals

Also speaking on security issues on The Key Points show on Saturday, security expert Colonel (rtd) Festus Aboagye blamed some Ghanaians for helping foreigners engage in criminal activities without asking appropriate questions.

According to him, foreigners get into the country with no proper checks conducted on them, and they end up enjoying certain liberties with the aid of Ghanaian citizens, who give them easy access to certain places which ought not to have been easily accessible to foreigners.

“Part of the blame is us Ghanaians.These Nigerians in the kidnapping of the Canadian girls, who rented that building to them? What kind of information did the landlord obtain from them?…that is part of the problem,” he stressed.

“Are there no laws that regulate employment of foreigners?” Colonel Aboagye questioned.

He called for a collaborative effort between the Ghana Immigration Service, the Customs Division of the Ghanan Revenue Authority (GRA) and the police CID in clamping down on crime in the country.