The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Ghana Navy emerged victorious during this year’s Exercise Rescue Mission (ERM) held in Tema to mark Ghana’s Republic Day.
On her way to success, the sea lords made light work of an obstacle course, including the retrieval of amulets (talisman) from a pond in best time.
Chinese-owned Sunon Asogli Power Plant and the dreaded Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) of the Ghana Police Service followed on the heels of the seamen in that order.
Exercise Rescue Mission, a platform used to promote civil/security relations in a bid to whip up the spirit of patriotism and volunteerism congregated on the Tema Sports Stadium in the early hours of Monday, 3rd July 2017 led by the mission’s Director of Operations, Ex-warrant Officer RazakYambe, to pursue a certain Sankofa Group established by Bishop John Brown.
The group is reported as having adopted mob action as a weapon to destabilize authority which they have already started.
Exercise Rescue Mission 2017, the 7th in the series, saw personnel drawn from civil society organizations namely; Korean Residents in Ghana Association (KRiGA), Chinese owned Sunon Asogli Power Limited, Geodan Health and Fitness Club, Afriyie Fitness Club, Association Sportive de Francophone from Burkina Faso, Shape Up Fitness Centre, Ageorgia Fitness Gym and Baboo Fitness Centre.
The Ghana Police Service fielded the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), both from the police headquarters in Accra and the Tema Regional Police Command.
The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ghana Immigration Service, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Eastern Naval Command of the Ghana Navy and the First Battalion of Infantry (1BN) from Michel Camp were all present.
The Search
The nine kilometer search took the contingents through Communities 1, 4, 7, 8 and 9, where they were cheered on by residents, who hailed them for pursuing the public enemy.
Finally, the ravenous members of the Ex Rescue Mission team came face to face with the enemy, who was planning an onslaught for mob actions against the celebrations of the nation’s Republic Day.
Disaster Zone
The Operations Director then declared the general area – being the buffer zone between Community 9 and the Light Industrial Area – as the Exercise Disaster Zone.
Tactically, the loyal citizens went over the knoll name after “SUNON ASOGLI POWER” – a Chinese owned power generating installation.
In the gorge was the Jomef Engineering Bridge followed immediately by the ‘Immigration Minefield.’
Belly crawl took them through the army bunker and met the police snap checkpoint and were aided through the GPHA tunnel.
The residents, deciding not to be just spectators, hinted the loyalists of the presence of a pond.
According to information gathered from residents, the last meeting place of the enemy was around the pond where they had performed rituals amidst dances to deities and planted amulets in the water body in order to cast charms on the loyals.
The Ghana Navy, under the leadership of Chief Petty Officer (CPO1) Benjamin KwesiYeboah, displayed mastery in locating and picking out the entire talisman in best time, followed by SunonAsogli Power and CTU respectively.
Former Chief of Defence Staff and former Ghana’s Ambassador to Ivory Coast, Lt Gen Peter Augustine Blay, HRH Nii Adjei Krakue II, Tema Mantse, Shin Min Chuei from the Korean Embassy in Ghana, Lt-Col Doe Normanya (rtd), Chief Revenue Office, Preventive Operations, Emmanuel Tetteh, Edward Ababio (Chairman), Manager, Reservoir and Production, Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC), Nathaniel Kumi Bailon, I. T Manager of Global Cargo and Commodities, guest of honour.