Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and Edward Kweku Asomani
Government yesterday raised a nationwide terror threat in the wake of recent attacks by extremist elements, some of which have occurred as close as 50 kilometres to Ghana’s northern frontiers, adding that the new alert level was preventative.
On May 11, 2022, Togo was hit by a terror attack that warned Ghana, a close neighbour, to be on “increased awareness” and expect a possible attack from these extremist groups, who exploit fault lines such as chieftaincy conflicts.
In the first deadly terrorist attack in Togo, which occurred around 3am at a forward post of the Operation Kondjouaré located in the locality of Kpinkankandi, about 10 Togolese soldiers were killed and dozens were wounded.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, announced at a news conference yesterday that the government had put the country’s “security and intelligence agencies on increased awareness following the increasing number of terror threat and terrorist attacks and some worrisome intelligence reports that are closer to our borders.”
“You have observed by now that the West African region is in recent weeks inundated with attacks by extremist elements some of which have occurred as close as 50km to Ghana’s northern frontiers,” he indicated.
Ghanaians Involvement
He revealed, “Increasingly, intelligence reports suggest that some Ghanaians have been involved in terrorist attacks in the Sahelian region,” and explained that, “What this signals is that there has been possible recruitment of Ghanaians by some of these terrorist groups in the West African sub-region.”
Mr. Nkrumah stated that the Ministry of National Security had authorised increased level of awareness among the intelligence community, and is seeking to “deepen engagement with the Ghanaian public in line with contemporary security practices.”
“We are, therefore, at this point specifically drawing the attention of persons in Ghanaian jurisdiction to be more observant and vigilant about our security ecosystem, and to draw the attention of the police, other security agencies and local community leaders immediately they observe anything out of the ordinary,” he added.
The minister said of particular interest are non-residents seen mobilising youth or circulating extremist materials in person or virtually, with the objective of whipping up sentiments to attack people or public installations.
He asserted that the government was also encouraging persons in Ghanaian jurisdiction to observe and be on the lookout for “abandoned and suspicious packages in public places” for quick attention of security persons.
Full Security Campaign
Mr. Nkrumah said in the coming days, the government would also be rolling out a “full campaign” aimed at mobilising and providing persons in the Ghanaian jurisdiction with more security education.
Deputy National Security Coordinator, Edward Asomani, indicated that within the first quarter of this year, the African continent had experienced about 346 terrorist attacks.
According to him, out of these attacks, 49% has occurred in the West African sub-region, adding that this clearly indicates that the sub-region has become a “hotbed for terrorism.”
He said the attack on Togo imposed a duty on Ghana to prepare, noting, “We are not insulated from those attacks. Therefore, we think Ghanaians should be aware.”
Why Ghanaians?
The Deputy Security Coordinator said the nature of the threat is such that it is not conventional warfare. “They don’t come with APC fighter jets. They come in all forms. It could be your pastor in the church, cleric in the mosque, individuals coming in as CSOs purporting to do community work.
“That means that we all have to be vigilant. Also, we know that the terrorists want access to the sea. The nature of the various attacks, we’ve also had in the sub-region, indicate that wherever they go, there is some form of mineral or natural resources there, particularly, gold,” he explained.
For Mr. Asomani, the question is if they attacked towns and communities in Burkina Faso that have gold deposits, clearly, Ghana will be an interest.
“This has been the pinnacle of the southwards drift of the terrorists. We are clearly therefore a target, and that is why we are here today to seek the support of Ghanaians, that you need to help the security and intelligence agencies. You need to report any suspicious activities that you see,” he stressed.
Fault lines Exploitation
He added that their study of the various attacks that have happened in the sub-region pointed to exploitation of existing fault lines such as ethno-religious conflict, and communities that feel alienated or have grievances towards authority.
“This therefore means that along our border towns we have some vulnerabilities there. We are saying to them that if anything that is suspicious, speak to a DC; approach the District Police Commander; or a Presiding Member. Don’t think that this information is innocuous,” the Deputy Security Coordinator appealed.
By Ernest Kofi Adu