When Mohamed Yussif, the late leader of Boko Haram, started his hate preaching in Maiduguri in the Borno State of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan and his government looked on unconcerned. It was similar to what led to the Biafra War. General Yakubu Gowon and his military junta also looked on unconcerned as Emeka Ojukwu and his forces amassed weapons and continued to preach the gospel according to an independent Biafra State. Before Gowon and his top military officers could blink an eye, fire started burning in the breakaway Biafra. The rest is history.
I find it difficult to understand people who call those who are purporting to push a so-called Western Togoland agenda in the Volta Region names which do not make them qualify to be called so. Some call them ‘separatists’, others called them ‘secessionists’, while others call them ‘rebels’, etc. Meanwhile, those who tag these ragamuffins with such names do not hesitate to refer to the Islamic State (ISIS) fighters as terrorists. What is the difference between these rabble-rousers from the Volta Region and ISIS? These people are terrorists. Simplista! Any other name given to these criminals is nothing but trying to glorify them. And did I hear certain security experts calling on the government to negotiate with the terrorists? How do you negotiate with drunk and drugged hooligans who understand no any language but terror? It is not for nothing that the State of Israel does not negotiate with terrorists. That is why the State of Israel has been able to survive all this while even though they live among well-armed hostile states.
This policy has sustained Israel since the state was established more than fifty years ago.
In 1972 when the Palestinian terrorists attacked and captured Israeli athletes at the Games Village in Munich where the Olympics Games were ongoing, Israel refused to negotiate with the terrorists. Even when pressure was mounted on the government of Israel—both at home and abroad—Israel refused to negotiate, come what may. Even though all the athletes were killed, Israel stood on her grounds. Indeed, some of the terrorists were killed but others were arrested. When the ‘Iron Lady’ Golda Mair took over power, she ordered the formation of a counter-terrorists group name and charged them to go after the masterminds of that despicable act. The operation was code named ‘The wrath of God’. By the time Golda died, almost all the masterminds were mowed down.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin does not negotiate with terrorists. Unlike Boris Yatsin, his predecessor, Putin chased and killed the Chechnya terrorists and now there is relatively peace in that enclave. To Putin, subduing the Chechnya rebels was a mission, a historic mission which must succeed. Ghana must learn from these two nations and take on these terrorists in the Volta Region. In the case of Ghana, we are lucky because we have been able to identify the group in time. What remains is to beef up our surveillance, identify those behind the group and deal with them according to the laws of the land. If they resist arrest, we shoot to kill. There is no choice but shooting them down because now that they have been able to raid police stations and went away with AK 47 assault rifles, killing them on site is self-defense and treating them with kid gloves is suicidal.
What we must acknowledge is that it took Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to work beyond human endurance to bring the Trans-Volta Togoland to the fold of the Gold Coast. Should we sit down for a few criminals to jettison their dream? There comes a time when a country has to tell one story with one voice. I have one universal adjective to describe those who are reading politics into this madness. ‘Foolish’. After the September 11 attack of the Twin Towers in the US, George Bush, the then President of the US, decided to go to war in Afghanistan. This decision had the full support of the Democrats and, of course, all well-meaning Americans. The interesting thing is that Democrat Senators were more vociferous in the call to attack the terrorists in Afghanistan. That is patriotism for you!
Voltarians should watch out for people who are desperate for power. These politicians will do everything, including terrorism, to come back to power. Three lives have already been lost, and these desperate politicians are happy and beating their chests, for at least they have succeeded in stirring up the hornet’s nest. Whenever they have nothing to hang on to debate, they create cacophonous noises and distract the President and his team from delivering their promises to the good people of Ghana. No wonder Mr. John Mahama told Ghanaians that the NDC has a revolutionary background and that when it comes to violence nobody can withstand the NDC. It is clear that the violence which happened in the Volta Region is the brainchild of the NDC.
These people will do everything to come to power to continue with their wanton depletion of the national coffers. I have never trusted these modern day Don Quixotes who still believe Ghanaians are gullible and shortsighted. Just look at the scenario; the President decides to keep quiet and allow the security officials to do their work as far as the issue of Western Togoland is concerned and the NDC noisemakers, including their confused flagbearer, cry foul. The President speaks on the issue and the same singing birds go to the rooftop to tell the world that it was too late for the President to speak on the issue. Which is which?
In the face of all these provocations, the President and his team should stay focused and remember that a desperate politician like Dramani Mahama will do everything to save his face. The truth is that the NDC is very sure that they will lose the forthcoming election and so wants to use any opportunity to cry foul. They demonstrated against the EC for opening a new voters’ register with some of their leadership vowing to castrate themselves if the EC succeeds in compiling the new register. When eventually a new voters’ register was opened, they were the first to register.
Now they are crying foul again over the exhibiting exercise as well, knowing very well that the EC has another window opened for any anomaly to be corrected. Kan Dapaa and his security outfit should sit up because the guys are out for violence. Ghanaians will not forgive him if he sits unconcerned for these people to upset the apple cart.
From Eric Bawah