CCG to use local church councils to report illicit drug operations

Local church councils across Ghana will serve as community-level platforms for reporting illicit drug operations, the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has announced.

In a statement delivered after meeting a New Patriotic Party (NPP) policy delegation, CCG Chairman Enoch Nii Narh Thompson said the Council would revitalise local and grassroots surveillance through its Local Councils of Churches (LCCs), which are spread across the regions.

“Our LCCs will serve as operational platforms for civic education, community safety advocacy, and collaboration with local law enforcement to report illicit operations safely,” he said.

The Council anchored the move in the 1992 Constitution. According to the statement, Article 41 mandates every citizen, including religious institutions and their leaders, to promote the prestige and good name of Ghana, foster national unity and combat criminal behaviour, with Article 41(i) placing a duty on citizens to cooperate with lawful agencies in maintaining law and order.

To encourage people with knowledge of high-level drug crimes to come forward, the CCG highlighted the Whistleblower Act, 2006 (Act 720), which it described as “a vital mechanism for individuals to expose corrupt or illegal activities affecting the public interest, protecting them from victimisation.”

“When the Church speaks out against narcotics, it is fulfilling both its deep spiritual assignment and its clear constitutional duty as an active participant in Ghana’s democratic stability,” Thompson said.

The grassroots push forms part of five commitments the Council made in response to the NPP’s Aide-Mémoire, which raised concerns over recent seizures, including 3.3 tonnes of cocaine at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast and 866 parcels concealed in gari sacks at Tema Harbour.

The Council said it would forward its reflections through its Standing Committee and Executive Council to ensure sustained institutional monitoring.

Its guiding motto, the Chairman reminded the delegation, remains: “United in Christ, Leading with Integrity, Transforming Ghana.”

Source: mynewsgh.com
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