General News of 2026-09-22
Tanko Musah cautions against revealing security strategies in ongoing drug cases
Lecturer at the University of Media, Arts and Communication-Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-IJ), Zakaria Tanko Musah, has cautioned against pressuring national security agencies to disclose details of ongoing narcotics investigations.
Speaking on GTV Breakfast on Tuesday September 22, 2026, he said revealing too much information could alert drug trafficking networks and allow them to change their methods.
“Let’s not, because we want to satisfy our human interest curiosity, be pushing the national security people to divulge almost all the strategy, because this is an ongoing exercise,” he said.
According to him, the recent international narcotics operations involve several countries, making cooperation and operational secrecy important.
“Right now, it’s not just France. France was involved, the Netherlands was involved, and it was supposed to go to Belgium. So there are three and Ghana was involved, and they would be collaborating extensively about some of these things,” he revealed.
He said this after a recent intelligence-led operation in South Africa saw a 52-year-old South African man arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after arriving from Accra with suspected heroin valued at more than R2 million, about US$123,000 or GHC1.4 million.
The operation was conducted on Sunday, September 20, 2026, by the South African Police Service and the Border Management Authority.
Musah also addressed questions about why authorities do not always allow suspected narcotics shipments to reach their final destination before making an arrest.
Some have questioned why a shipment was not allowed to reach Antwerp, Belgium, so authorities could identify or arrest more people involved in the network.
But Musah said such an approach also carries significant risks.
“Remember, when you talk about the amount of narcotics involved, and the value involved, you’re taking a risk,” he said.
