BASKIN Africa, a civil society organization in Ghana has joined well-meaning Ghanaians and several other International Organizations including governments and their allied agencies to call on the Government of Ghana to as a matter of urgency restore law and order to avert a degeneration of the emergent chaos and disorder. This call is necessitated by the plethora of insecurity cases in recent times; bolstered political party vigilantism, phenomenal daylight robberies, strange kidnappings, targeted killings, marauding electoral violence and a host of other very obscene acts of violence and lawlessness which have become the bane of our young but flourishing, and heavily touted democratic credentials. Indeed, citizens and allies of this great nation are justified in their worry over the seemingly endless cycle of impunity because, at a break of any unrest, the affluent political elite can afford to escape, leaving the vulnerable and deprived to helpless and yet, needless sufferings.
As a member of the United Nations that has signed onto the Sustainable Development Goals, the Government of Ghana must feel a sincere obligation to implement the Goals to the overall benefit of the citizenry. It is worthy to note that Ghana is part of the 180 countries the UNDP is collaborating with to implement some of the goals including Goal 16 which enjoins nations to commit to the promotion of inclusive peace, justice and strong institutions. By this, the state must demonstrably be seen to be abiding by the spirit and letter of all goals including goal 16.
Even more undermined under the circumstances is the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana. Today’s budding culture of disabling state institutions, including those at the core of maintaining peace and administration of justice, is a clear departure from the promise of upholding the constitution and realising the aspirations of the global development agenda under the SDGs. A recognition that our stability today does not absolve us from instability tomorrow appears to have been lost on us. Perhaps, a rehash of the terrifying number of people forcibly displaced by violence and blatant abuse of political power here would serve to remind government of the dangerous road we thread. For the records, and without a consideration of outright deaths, the UNDP estimates that by end of 2016, politically motivated abuse, violence and conflicts, forcibly displace about 65.6m people including women and children. This is not only alarming but unacceptable.
Government must demonstrate its commitment openly and dispassionately by expediting actions on pending incidences of crime committed in the past few months as listed below;
1. The gruesome murder of the 33-year-old Ahmed Hussein-Suale, an investigative journalist with the Tiger Eye PI, which event occurred on 16th January, 2019.
2. The unfortunate murder of the Mankralo of Prampram, Nene Atsuare Benta III on the 13th of December 2018 whose unknown assailants neither demanded nor made away with any valuables as in the case above after the execution of the dastardly acts.
3. The killing of Joseph Migal Jinger, a senior staff of Ghana Water Company Limited, who met his untimely death on the eve of New Year (2019) on his way to Bunkrungu to celebrate the New Year with his family. His assailants pulled him out of his vehicle shot him, and again did not request anything or took anything from him after his killing.
4. The stabbing of the Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of Ghana Ports and Harbours, Madam Josephine Asante on a Saturday, 12th January 2019.
5. The unfortunate kiddnaping of our innocent Takoradi girls including a 25 year old Maame Darkoa. In the meantime, we commend government for seeking the support of other governments and international organizations to support in getting the girls back to their families.
6. The shooting of the staff of the Forestry Commission.
7. Rising spate of armed robbery in the country; Strange occurrences of robbery has taken root with the records showing a sharp rise in robbery from 1,392 incidences in 2016 to about 2000 in 2018. The unimaginable physical and emotional trauma suffered in the hands of these robbers cannot be overstated.
With all the above scary statistics, the Government of Ghana and its allied security agencies including the Ghana Police Service, the CID, the BNI, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of National Security, have all got little or no answers to offer. This development and the incipient inertia on the part of the Government of Ghana with the subtle endorsement from some key stakeholders, including some civil society organizations, are but a fertile grounds for the continuous perpetration of crime. Any further demonstration of the state’s inability to swiftly and decisively deal with crime as in the cases cited can only worsen the situation going forward.
The last straw that got BASKIN Africa to join other organisations in making this call however, is the unfortunate incidents of shooting and violence unleashed on harmless and unarmed civilians at the just ended Bye-election at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency held on the 31st of January, 2019.
The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in its preliminary report on this Bye-election noted the lack of coordination amongst the security operatives and their lack of understanding of the electoral processes in Ghana. Particular notice was made by CODEO about the operations of some masked, armed “security personnel” who could not be held responsible for any misconduct because of their hidden identities. Similarly, the United Nations Development Programme condemned the intimidation and violence unleashed on civilians and voters at election centers. And at BASKIN Africa, we find the occurrences to have been an affront to the integrity of our democracy and security of citizens generally and calls on government which has the ultimate responsibility of securing the security of the state, to act with alacrity to redeem Ghana’s battered image.
BASKIN Africa is particularly worried about the general atmosphere of insecurity and the politically tinted attacks as we inch closer to the 2020 general elections. Indications of the preparedness of various political parties to arm their own private security (vigilante groups) to safeguard their respective interests are already clear. Such dangerous precipitations must forewarn persons at the helm of affairs to act and act swiftly. The people of Ghana deserve to engage in their daily activities in a safe environment where their guaranteed security is not underlined by political inclinations but by the basic principle of equal rights, rule of law and all other similar provisions enshrine in the constitution of Ghana.
It is in the light of the foregoing that, BASKIN Africa is calling on the Government of Ghana and other actors especially security agencies and political parties to act expeditiously to curb the fast rising sense of insecurity.
-signed-
Issifu Seidu Kudus
Ag Spokesperson
(0244198031)
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