National Security entails everything that a nation needs to do to survive in peace and therefore protecting the nation is the institution’s top priority. National security is the apex structure that oversees national defence, foreign intelligence and counterintelligence, international, internal security and foreign relations. The major functions of National Security are counterintelligence which deals with issues in respect of the protection of our national assets, exports and sanctions, foreign policies and many other international issues that militate against the interest of our nation. These responsibilities include actions against non-state actors, narcotic cartels, organised and cyber-crimes and actions by multinational corporations.
In these broad responsibilities, maintenance of law and order, ensuring public safety and defending aggression are some of the specifics. Managing disaster preparedness and relief, and monitoring and controlling the flow of people into and out of the country, ensuring food security, energy supply, health and anything that is likely to bring the state into disrepute are the concerns of national security. Many objectives of national security are resolved covertly both in and out of the country. Outside our borders, diplomacy is the key and diplomatic missions play a role to achieve some of the objectives and in some cases through clandestine operations.
Internally, to achieve some of the objectives, responsibilities are allocated to government agencies and institutions such as the Armed Forces, the Police, EOCO, Immigration, National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) and other institutions that exist for the day-to-day security needs of the nation. It is naïve to view modern national security needs as an exclusive preserve of the military. Today, national security covers everything that matters to the nation including food, energy, health, disasters etc. In effect, anything that undermines the progress of the nation is the responsibility of the national security. The environmental degradation like “galamsey” is a national security problem. To perform its functions effectively, the national security relies on professionals to provide information and intelligence and vice versa. It also disseminates information and intelligence to other state agencies for effective functioning in support of security needs as well as effective monitoring and control.
In view of the nature of its functions, many of its operatives are unknown to the public and many of them have stayed with people and communities for years without their identities being revealed. In some cases, these employees are overtly given employment in some recognised institutions as a cover up to hide their true employment status. Traditionally, personnel in national security duties run a lot of risks in the pursuit of their functions and their protection is very important. In developed countries it is rare to find people who openly boast of working in the National Security.
It is therefore surprising that in Ghana, people who work with the National Security are the first to identify and introduce themselves as such. Some consider employment in National Security as a “status symbol” and do so with ulterior motives. The glamour to join the national security is only self-seeking and for the criminal minds, use their newly acquired status to engage in criminal activities. This is the reason why at the end of every change of government, the most sought for appointment or employment by supporters, machomen and followers of political parties, is the employment at the National Security. The question is why? The motive is to misuse the position to acquire wealth, intimidate political opponents and pursue personal vendetta.
In recent times, the use of personnel from the National Security to raid homes and offices of members of opposition is a bad precedent. This is because issues involved with national security are considered high stakes or very sensitive which demand the employment of highly trained professionals to ensure that the right information is obtained during such exercises. The searches that have been conducted recently have no merit and fall far below the standard of the national security and could have been assigned to the Police Service or other lesser institution to handle.
The use of personnel of national security for investigations and searches give the impression of victimisation, vindictiveness and cause a lot of panic amongst sections of the population. Such actions also infringe on the rights and liberties of citizens which is tantamount to actions of a police state. Today, national security challenges of many countries are the everchanging nature of cyber threats. Cyber criminals are constantly inventing new techniques and strategies to exploit vulnerabilities in networks and systems. Other major threats to national security, are transitional terrorism, cybersecurity, nuclear proliferation, transnational organised crime, regional conflicts, environmental challenges, pandemics and health emergencies for which personnel must be professionally trained and equipped to deal with them.
The use of national security operatives to achieve minor political objectives is an abuse of the institution which must be resisted. Some of the misguided operatives use their employment to organise crime and participate in them whilst others use it to terrorise people and extort monies from them. The National Security is a very sensitive and important institution in the country. The selection and training of its personnel must be taken seriously to preserve the integrity and professionalism of the organisation. The image has been brought so low that there is the urgent need to restore its credibility by limiting its involvement in some political and uncharitable duties.
This is an organisation whose responsibility is to preserve peace and integrity of our nation and must not be allowed to be tainted with political mudslinging. The organisation should not become an appendix to the NDC. It is with this sentiment that many Ghanaians are very unhappy with the appointment of Mr Richard Jakpa as Director of Special Operations at National Security Secretariat with effect from 31st January, 2025. Mr Richard Jakpa served in the Ghana Armed Forces and was dishonourably dismissed from the Service. He was tried and sentenced with severe reprimand and forfeiture of two weeks salary. These revelations came about during his trial on the acquisition of ambulances for Ghana when his character was questioned. The Ghana Armed Forces wrote a letter signed on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff by the late Brig-Gen MKG Ahiaglo, the then commander of the Southern Command that Richard Jakpa had been released from Service for “unsatisfactory conduct”.
The letter read “the above-named officer was commissioned into the Armoured Corps as a Regimental Officer on August 21, 1998. All things being equal, the officer should have made the rank of Captain on August 21, 2002, and a Major on August 21 2007. He had consistently failed his PROMEX (promotion examination) and lags behind his mates in rank. Also, his service with the colours has been largely unsatisfactory, marked by consistent fraudulent conduct, abrasiveness and general indiscipline”.
“In addition, Lt R Jakpa has been incessantly indebted to various people/institutions during the period. Throughout his service life Lt R Jakpa has consistently proved that he belongs to a world incompatible with the decent and gentlemanly composure that the Presidential Commission confers on officers of the Ghana Armed Forces. By all standards, he is a bad example and his continued retention in the Service is likely to cause more harm to the Service and to himself. From the foregoing, the continued retention of Lt R Jakpa is not in the best interest to the GAF and himself, it has accordingly been decided that Lt R Jakpa be released from the Service forthwith.”
The question is “why should the President appoint such a character as the Director of Special Operations of the National Security”? Jakpa is aggrieved and has a lot of scores to settle with many people and his position at the National Security will offer him the opportunity to take his revenge on people who might have contributed to his predicament. The ugly and embarrassing searches of homes of former Minister of Finance and the Governor of Bank of Ghana where monies and jewels were allegedly stolen are examples. The use of the National Security set up to intimidate citizens under the pretext of investigating corruption is too crude. We shouldn’t allow such an important organ of state to be dragged into the political mud.
The NDC must not dream that they will rule Ghana for ever. Views expressed by some Ghanaians suggest that many people are not too happy with the budget proposals because they don’t believe they will solve the economic problems and sooner or later the dissatisfaction will set in.
The government should rather concentrate in finding solutions to the economic problems as the key to stay in power not intimidation and harassment by national security operatives.
National Security as an institution is too serious to be toyed with or messed up in infantile political gimmicks.