Wa, Feb. 16, GNA – The Upper West Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Reynold Manteaw has urged Ghanaians to consider individual security as a topmost priority to guarantee the general security of the country.
He said even though Ghana had not yet experienced terrorists’ attacks that should not let the people to lose their guard and think that such could not happen in the country.
“We need to be vigilant and security conscious at all times and play our security roles properly as citizens by reporting to the security agencies suspected criminal activities promptly to ensure that our environment is safe”, he said.
Chief Superintendent Manteaw gave the advice at a symposium organised for students of the Nusrat Jahan Ahmaddiya College of Education on the “Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana” (NORPREVSEC).
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), in collaboration with other stakeholders, especially the National Security and the Ghana Police Service under the sponsorship of the European Union (EU), organised the symposium.
Its main objective is to help prevent pre and post electoral violence, better equip key government and non-governmental state actors in their joint and coordinated efforts to sustain peace and contain the rise of violence extremism.
Chief Superintendent Manteaw expressed disappointment that at many police barriers, the police flouts the laws and open the barriers for people in “V 8 cars” to drive on without finding out who they are and the type of items in the car.
That, he noted, should not be allowed as it serve as a recipe for disaster because terrorists could also use such vehicles and outwit the police to carry out their activities.
“This is an easy way to help the terrorists to have access to our country if they come into Ghana. We must have the courage to stop all vehicles on our roads and find out who are in the Cars and the items they contain”, Chief Superintendent Manteaw stated.
The Regional Crime Officer urged the students to form groups in the schools and in the communities to help protect the country against the activities of suspected criminals.
Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), said 10 tertiary educational institutions had been selected from the five regions of Northern Ghana of which two tertiary institutions had been nominated to benefit from the programme in the Upper West Region.
The NCCE Regional Director said the NCCE as a state actor in the campaign was required to advocate against vigilantism and the rise of violence extremism in Ghana, hence the selection of tertiary institutions to support in the advocacy campaign.
He said the peace the people were enjoying in the region in particular and Ghana at large, needed to be protected by all citizen through surveillance and timely reporting of criminal activities to the security agencies.
Mr Kojo V. Titto, Secretary to the Commission urged the students to form civic education clubs to learn more about the constitution, adding that for peace to continue to prevail in the country, much depended on how patriotic the youth are and the way they want the country to develop.
He advised the youth to be disciplined, and work hard to achieve their choices of goals in life.
Mr Salih Saeed, Acting Principal of the Nusrat Jahan Ahmaddiya College of Education, appealed to leaders to live exemplary lives for the youth to emulate them.
He challenged youth to be critical on matters of security because Ghana belong to them as future leaders and they must do their best to ensure that the country was safe for them to live in.
GNA