The immigration officer whose exceptional gallantry saved the lives of two police officers needs celebration.
He has deservedly been mentioned in dispatches as it was done during WWII for acts of valours by soldiers of the Royal West African Frontier Force.
AICO Nurudeen has exalted the image of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) and his as well; he has blazed a trail worth treading upon by all Ghanaians.
Support your colleagues or compatriots when they are in need, as the two cops were at the time of the immigration officer’s intervention but for which they could have died.
But for the show of bravado which he put up when the two police officers were en route to a church whose congregants had been attacked by the man he immobilised, the story on the subject in this issue would have been different.
The story of the immigration officer and the two cops has brought to the fore a worrying trend among Ghanaians in recent times when there is a dearth of such valour and a commitment to support persons in need even at the peril of our lives.
Many are more concerned in taking videos of scenes than stepping in to support distressed persons as in the case of the attacked police officers.
The suspect, as the story states, could have used the AK47 at the crime scene and that would have changed the face of this story.
Let us show bravado sensibly and save situations. With the number of persons at the scene of the attack, there was no point abandoning the crime location and allowing the suspect to have a field day of indiscriminate murder of innocent persons.
It is satisfying to note that the weapon-handling training being given to immigration recruits and cadets is having a positive impact on their performance. It could have just been imagined how the immigration officer would have appreciated the situation and reacted without the kind of orientation his training imparted on him. That was what made difference. We recall the time when the issue of arming immigration officers was tabled as a public discourse. There was foot-dragging at the time but eventually it has paid off considering the security challenges at our frontiers and the role expected of such security personnel.
We call on the management of both the Police Administration and the Ghana Immigration Service to honour the immigration officer under review, this way others would emulate him.
Let us recognise citizens who display such rare quality because not doing so can only dampen the spirit of others.
We are looking forward to the day when a joint recognition celebration between the Police and the Ghana Immigration Service would be organised for the brave man.