Ghana tightens borders on terrorism

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Ghana has put up a fresh barrier on any plans of external attack from terrorists or illicit cartels on its citizens by launching what the Ministry of National Security calls “Operation Kondanlgou 2018” along its borders.

National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, announced in a news release issued Wednesday at Bawku in the Upper East region Ghana would carry out the operation with two next-door West African countries— Burkina Faso and Togo— and one ‘remote neighbour’, Benin.

“The Operational Command Centre is located at Bawku in the Upper East Region. The operation is aimed at combating cross-border crimes such as terrorism, human trafficking, armed robbery [and] smuggling among others.

“As part of the operations, security personnel will conduct joint border patrols, joint snap/permanent checkpoints to help monitor and control the movement of persons within the area of operation. Highways and other relevant routes will also be patrolled. Random searches will be conducted for arms and ammunition as well as contraband goods and also man identified beats and pillars along the country’s borders,” the minister said in the media release.

Citizens told to cooperate with Security Agencies

The coverage areas in the north, with respect to the press statement, include Bolgatanga, Namoo, Tongo, Nangodi, Zebilla, Binduri, Pusiga, Sapeliga, Kulungungu and Garu. The rest are Bunkpurugu, Nalerigu, Gambaga, Walewale and Nankpanduri.

“We are fighting transnational crimes. The issue of terrorism is rising. It is for us to collaborate our efforts with our counterparts in the other countries. As the three of them are here, we (Ghana) equally have representatives in Togo, Burkina Faso and Benin. The international command centre is in Burkina Faso.,” a Technical Director at the Ministry of National Security, Ben Dere, told journalists at Bawku.

Flanked by representatives of the other countries, Mr. Dere indicated the Upper West region, which is not on the current coverage list, would be covered in the future.

Security chiefs, in a meeting with the press at Bawku, placed emphasis on how the Ministry of National Security had, in a stand-alone paragraph, concluded its press statement.

“We, therefore, appeal to law-abiding citizens to give our personnel their maximum cooperation when they encounter them. The Ministry of National Security assures residents of the operational area to remain calm and cooperate with our security agencies.”

Newshounds toured one of the “Operation Kondanlgou 2018” camps at Widnaba, a border town in the Bawku West District, where the Public Relations Officer of the Northern Regional Police Command, DSP Mohammed Tanko, assured the public the operation was bound to be a success.