The Ashanti Regional Security Secretariat (ARSS) of the National Security, according to a story we published yesterday, has strongly condemned the unlawful locking up of Forestry Commission (FC) offices in parts of the region.
In a press release, the Secretariat expressed deep concern over the forcible closure of Forestry Commission (FC) offices at Bekwai, Nkawie and Offinso by people they described as “armed individuals” who falsely posed as operatives of the National Security.
According to the statement, the perpetrators have no affiliation with the National Security Council and their actions are illegal and unauthorised. “The Secretariat reaffirms its commitment to upholding the rule of law and will not tolerate any unlawful conduct, especially those driven by political motivations,” the statement said.
The ARSS also assured the public of its readiness to work closely with the law enforcement agencies to ensure peace, security and public order throughout the region. On Monday, this week, a group of armed men reportedly from the National Security (NS) invaded the aforementioned offices of the FC to lock them up. The perpetrators of the crime claimed they were acting upon the usual ‘order from above’.
Myonline.com, which reported the story, quoted some of the FC staff as saying that they have become a target because of their fight against illegal mining in one of the forest reserves in the area. As mentioned in this column yesterday, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, also issued a statement condemning the conduct of the attackers. He also called for full probe into the incident because he, as the sector minister, did not sanction the closure of the said FC offices.
Now the National Security, which is being accused of illegally invading the FC offices to close them down has also come out with what we consider as incongruous statement to condemn the act, but fell short of admitting that the gun wielding men behind the illegal conduct came from their outfit.
We are saying incongruous because if the armed men were not indeed from the NS, the statement would have assured the public of the steps being taken to arrest the offenders, whose faces are shown in a video. Clearly, it is only a failed state that one will see people wielding AK47 assault rifles, moved to a state recognised agency and locked its offices up without being arrested.
But since Ghana has a thriving democracy, no one – not even a foreigner – can describe us as a failed state. This is why in our opinion, the explanation offered by the NS, with the greatest respect, does not make sense.
When the Nana Akufo-Addo government took over the reins of power in 2017, a similar incident happened, where the NS officials were used to unleash havoc on innocent victims during the Ayawaso Wuogon by-election. Party apparatchiks also invaded a court room in Kumasi, presided over by a pregnant Judge, to free their colleagues standing trial.
In the same Nana Akufo-Addo regime, some of these NS operatives invaded mines and misconducted themselves. But as usual, there were no official confirmation that they indeed belonged to the NS. History, therefore, seems to be repeating itself. In our write-up yesterday, we did advise President Mahama to sit up before some of his own men sully the goodwill his government is enjoying.
As we did indicate yesterday, Ghanaians voted against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government during the 2024 general election because of its failure to deal with the issue of galamsey and misuse of security agencies.
President Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) led government will, therefore, be laughing at the wrong side of their mouth if they wrongly assume that should they even fail to fight galamsey, 2028 is a foregone conclusion for them.
The destructions being caused to the environment by illegal miners is a matter of concern to every Ghanaian. Gone were the days when Ghanaians were voting based on family, tribaland party affiliation. Today, voters look at issues that affect their daily lives before deciding where their votes should go. This is why President Mahama, unless of course he wants his party to go back to the opposition, should continuously crack the whip on erring appointees, especially those found to be misusing state security agencies.
People using the NS as a subterfuge to pursue their business agendas must be stopped once and for all. The NS was set up to protect all of us – it is not meant for individuals to misuse. So yes, if the armed men who invaded the FC offices at Bekwai are truly not state recognised security men, they should immediately be fished out and punished. This is the only way the public can believe in the statement that has been put out by the NS.
