Ambrose Dery interacting with Controller General of the GIS, Kwame Takyi and other officers
Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, has announced the establishment of police stations in the Kokomba and Chokosi communities to ensure lasting peace in the area.
Mr. Dery said the Police Council has decided to end the protracted conflict between the two ethnic groups which often result in deaths and destruction to properties.
“Yesterday, the Police Council met to establish police stations in the areas…we do not want to go and fight and withdraw, now we want to put a permanent structure there,” he said.
The latest clashes between the two groups, which occurred a few days ago, resulted in the death of one person and injuries to several others.
The minister said, “It’s unfortunate that for the past two days they have started burning houses. But we do not want to create the impression that we are dealing with the situation that has never happened, but we think that must not continue to exist and we are going to make sure we work towards that.”
He made the revelation on the sidelines of a special regional commanders’ meeting of the Ghana Immigration Service
(GIS) in Accra.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Dery encouraged the police officers to closely collaborate with other security services and civil society organizations and adopt a coordinated approach in preventing and countering terrorism in Ghana.
He said it was becoming increasingly clear that the greatest threat in the West African sub-region is terrorism, citing recent terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso.
“We cannot pretend that all is well and take the peace of our country for granted. Countering terrorism is therefore the top security concern of the President of the Republic and indeed all of us. Having said that let me remind all of us, that the challenge demands remedial efforts from all of us,” he added.
He appealed to the public to voluntarily share information with security officers to avoid any surprises.
“We need information, anyone who comes into your community and is a stranger, whether foreigner or Ghanaian, do let the agencies know about it so we can have no surprises,” he added.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri